Pioneer Water General Manager Terry Pruitt said Friday afternoon that a pump system failure earlier that morning left three schools temporarily without water and triggered a Boil Water Advisory for all affected areas.

“We experienced a pump system failure at the pump station on Hampton Street near Westminster that provides water from the Westminster feed,” Pruitt said. “But we have an emergency plan that Pioneer follows and it was enacted.”

Fair-Oak Elementary, Oakway Intermediate and West-Oak High were among those affected and school district officials acted quickly to assist students, teachers and administrators. The district sent a truck to provide bottled water for students and staff at each of those schools, since they remained under a Boiled Water Advisory throughout the school day.

Water service was restored to the school later Friday morning, though the pressure was lower than normal.

“The biggest issue was bathrooms and now they’re fully functional,” said Michael Thorsland, assistant superintendent of operations for the Oconee County School District. “As long as the bathrooms are working, we’re OK.”

Kay Powell, director of public information for the school district, said classes were uninterrupted while the schools were without water and Superintendent Mike Lucas said that cafeteria workers were able to serve regular lunch to students.

“Students were concerned they wouldn’t have brownies today (on the menu),” Lucas said, adding, “They did have them.”

Pruitt said the pumps were back in operation and that he anticipated all of the tanks being filled up by Friday afternoon. He added that the Boil Water Advisory, expected to end sometime Saturday, was exercised as a precautionary measure.

“What we will do from here on out is collect samples through the distribution system to ensure that water is safe and fit to drink as required by DHEC,” Pruitt said. “If those samples prove to be OK, we will issue a repeal of the advisory Saturday.”

According to Pruitt, DHEC requires water companies to maintain a 20 PSI in system pressure and to issue an advisory if there is a loss of pressure in the entire distribution system, or a portion of the system, and the potential exists for contamination. A notice is issued if a water system experiences contamination.

But Pruitt is confident that the situation is getting closer to a resolution.

“Everything is coming back up to full system pressure,” he said.

Thorsland praised administrators at the three schools, adding, “Our administrators handled the situation in a very professional manner.”