BERNE — Getting the lead out is one less thing to worry about for the Berne-Knox-Westerlo School District.

That’s because virtually all the water outlets in both the district’s elementary building and its middle and high school building have now tested below the state-mandated level of 15 parts per billion at which remedial action — usually modifying plumbing or closing outlets — must be taken.

Only one water outlet in each building — neither used as drinking water — will need to be remediated.

On Sept. 6, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed new mandates requiring public schools statewide to test all water outlets for lead and to remediate any with water lead-content above 15 parts per billion. The state is to pay for remediation although the process for funding has not been announced.

Secondary School Principal Mark Pattison reported Monday that  water from a sink in the boys’ locker room was found to contain 28.2 parts per billion.

Pattison emphasized that the sink is not used for drinking or cooking, and said that  the district’s engineering firm will now  propose how to correct the problem.

“Out of an abundance of caution,” Pattison said in announcing the test results, “the sink has been marked and will not be used until  the work is complete.”

The state law’s criterion for remedial  action is one established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.  One part per billion is the equivalent of one drop of ink in the gasoline carried by the largest-size tanker truck. Experts agree that lead toxicity can occur even in small concentrations.

Testing results that came back in October for the much older elementary school building— it was constructed in the 1930s — were similarly negative. Or, in this case positive: only water from a utility sink formerly used for science classes came back above the 15-parts-per billion level.

A total of 70 water outlets in the elementary school building and 98 in the secondary school building were subjected to testing.