Boil water advisory issued for more than 90,000 Penn-American Water customers
Boil water advisory issued for more than 90,000 Penn-American Water customers
More than 90,000 Pennsylvania American Water customers are under a boil water notice as of Saturday morning, the result of a water main break that significantly damaged a Washington County volunteer fire department Friday night.
According to the Elrama Volunteer Fire Company, the break was first reported around 11:25 p.m. Friday, not far from their location on 27 Elrama Ave. Crews are asking people to avoid Elrama Avenue, which is closed from State Route 837 to Hout Lane. The water company’s crews are on site working to fix the break.
Elrama Fire Chief Matt Salim surveyed the scene Saturday as crews worked to make repairs.
“(Friday) night, I got a call that water was coming into the station,” Salim said. “We had about four feet of water inside the garage. My guys who were inside the station had to get outside. We found out a 48-inch water line broke on the street right in front of our pad. It started flooding our garage, our social hall. It took about an hour to get the water shut down, just because of the volume of the water that was in there. We have a lot of damage.”
Salim said there will be some measures taken so the fire company still can operate.
“We have some trucks that are getting loaned into us,” the chief said. “Plus, we do have Mutual Aid companies that are automatic right now for coverage for the residents, so there’s no change in response from us. You’ll still get members, but you’ll be getting trucks from other areas.”
Allen Powell, who lives at 10 Elrama Ave., said the break occurred late Friday night and flooded all of Elrama Avenue, causing it to buckle. He said a jeep belonging to one of the firefighters sunk in a huge hole on Elrama Avenue.
“The water just came flooding out,” Powell said Saturday afternoon. “There was water running through the fire hall to the back of the building and flooding the Elrama Tavern parking lot. We’re going to be without water for about another 15 hours probably. I just feel bad for these guys doing the work. It’s awful cold, and there’s no way to get warm.”
According to PAW, an early morning power surge caused a depletion of water storage at the tank near the Aldrich Water Treatment Plant in Elrama. This results in a loss of water pressure in the distribution system, and that could lead to contamination entering the system through backflow or back siphonage.
The boil water advisory applies to customers in both Allegheny and Washington counties. Customers should not drink the water without boiling it first.
Pennsylvania American Water is collecting and analyzing water samples for further testing.
Under a boil water advisory, you are asked to bring all water to a rolling boil and let it boil for one minute. This includes all water – water for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth, and food preparation.
Bottled water is available at the Union Township Municipal Building at 3904 Finleyville‑Elrama Road.
Areas of Washington County that are included in the boil water advisory are Amwell, Buffalo, Canonsburg, Canton, Caroll Township, Cecil Township, Chartiers, City of Washington, Claysville, Cross Creek, Donegal Township, East Washington, Fallowfield, Finleyville, Forward Township, Green Hills Borough, Houston, Jefferson, Monongahela, Mount Pleasant, New Eagle, North Franklin, North Strabane, Nottingham, Peters Township, Somerset Township, South Franklin, South Strabane, Union Township and West Middletown.
Areas included in Allegheny County are Bethel Park, Bridgeville, Clairton, Dravosburg, Elizabeth Township, Elizabeth Borough, Glassport, Jefferson Hills Borough, Liberty Lincoln, North Fayette, South Fayette, South Park, Upper Saint Clair, and West Elizabeth.