Pittsburgh, PA - Today, the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA) completed the repair to an approximately 60 year-old, 20-inch water main in Highland Park. Water service is now restored for residents impacted by the water main break that occurred on Friday, March 24, 2023. This caused low and no water pressure in portions of the following neighborhoods:
- Central Lawrenceville
- East Liberty
- Garfield
- Highland Park
- Morningside
- Stanton Heights
- Upper Lawrenceville
Water pressure in the system was restored at approximately 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 25, 2023. When there is a water pressure loss, contaminants can enter the drinking water. The boil water advisory issued yesterday at 6:30 pm remains in effect to a limited area, approximately 4,400 households, for the impacted neighborhoods highlighted in the map below. Please use our interactive map to determine if you are impacted
Water buffalos - large water containers, filled with clean water - will remain in place at the following locations for affected customers:
- Oranmore Street at Summerville Avenue
- 5330 North Aiken Court (The Commons Senior Living)
- Stanton Avenue at Woodbine Street
- Hawthorne Street at Amsterdam Avenue
- Callowhill Street at N. Highland Avenue
- Heberton Street at Hampton Street
Steps to follow during a boil water advisory
Any customer who experienced no water service or low pressure in this area on Friday or today is asked to follow these precautionary measures until further notice. We recognize the inconvenience of having to boil water. However, the advisory is issued to ensure the safety of our water and customers.
The advisory applies to water used for consumption. Customers within the impacted area should do the following before using water for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth, and food preparation until further notice:
- Boil tap water vigorously for at least one minute prior to using it for drinking or cooking (the minute starts when the water begins to bubble). This includes water used for brushing teeth, making ice, washing raw foods, preparation of drinks, and water for pets.
- Wait for the water to cool before using it or store it in the refrigerator in a clean container.
Boiling kills harmful bacteria in the water that may cause illness. You should throw away ice made during the time the advisory or notice was issued, as freezing does not kill bacteria.
Customers in this service area are being advised to boil their water to ensure that drinking water meets or exceeds all state and federal water quality requirements. The boil water advisory will remain in place until further notice.
What to expect while the boil water advisory is in place?
Now that water is restored, PWSA will conduct two rounds of water sampling to ensure water is safe to drink. PWSA tests for Total Coliform, which is a group of bacteria known as an indicator of microbial contamination. After we’ve obtained the required samples, they are sent to the lab.
The incubation is 24 hours for each of the two required samples. These samples are collected, prepared, analyzed, and reported by PWSA employees. When the tests come back negative for Total Coliforms, PWSA can lift the advisory and those impacted can use their water as normal.
In the instance of this boil water advisory, PWSA will need to collect nine samples from representative locations within the impact area. We will collect the first round of samples on Sunday, March 26th and the second on Monday, March 27th. Per guidance from the Pennsylvania DEP, we need to allow the Garfield Tank to fill before we can begin sampling. This will occur overnight as demand for water decreases.
We appreciate the help of the residents who have already volunteered to provide water samples. The help of the community will make the process go more smoothly.
Why was the advisory issued before water service was restored?
The advisory was issued in an abundance of caution to ensure the safety of our water and customers. In this instance, we anticipated being able to restore water service either late Friday night or early Saturday morning and did not want customers waking up to use water knowing we would need to put an advisory in place. We issued this advisory preemptively in the interest of public health and to meet water quality regulations. We recognize that this is an inconvenience and greatly appreciate everyone’s support and cooperation.
Customers are encouraged to take simple precautionary steps to minimize disruptions at home by keeping several days of bottled water on hand and making sure we have your updated emergency contact information www.pgh2o.com/update-contact-info.
A searchable map is available here. For more information about the precautionary boil water advisory, please visit our website at www.pgh2o.com or call (412) 255.2423.
