PWSA Working Closely With DEP To Resolve Boil Water Advisory
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - City and PWSA officials are working closely with the DEP after a Boil Water Advisory was issued Tuesday.
During a press conference Wednesday afternoon, PWSA Executive Director Bernard Lindstrom said no contaminants have been detected in the water. He also stressed that the advisory is in place out of an abundance of caution.
"We found no contaminants at all detected in our water system. But, since this is precautionary because we had the potential for insufficient disinfectant treatment at one location, it was prudent to issue this notice to assure public safety and there was minimal risk to public health," Lindstrom said.
As part of their response to the problem, the chlorination input for the entire PWSA system has been increased.
"The discussions with the DEP are ongoing and complex. We are continuing to engage with them and continuing to try to determine exactly the steps that are needed to get us out of this boil notice," Lindstrom said.
"Right now, I don't have full clarity of what those steps are going to be. We are taking steps to address this and as I said, we took the area of concern completely off the system. We are adding more chlorination to the system, which is the appropriate disinfection method to do. We are increasing our testing and ramping up testing at 36 different sites, not just looking at the one that was in concern."
The DEP says recent tests were taken at one location near the Highland Park water filtration plant, and low levels of chlorine were discovered at one location. The reason for the low reading has yet to be determined.
A DEP spokesperson said the problem was discovered through the agency's ongoing investigation into PWSA's water treatment practices.
"We removed the entire membrane filtration and Highland Reservoir system off of the water system. As of 10 p.m. last night, the area of concern was removed from the water system completely," Lindstrom said.
The PWSA is currently providing all water from the Aspinwall drinking water treatment facility for all customers.
Water quality experts are collecting samples from across the city for submission to the DEP. However, the advisory is expected to last at least three days.
Meanwhile, the city has set up 15 water distribution sites across the city.
Anyone who is unable to get to a water distribution site should contact the 311 Response Center.
As a result of the advisory, the Pittsburgh Public Schools District closed 22 schools and two early childhood centers today.
Superintendent Dr. Anthony Hamlet said schools will be reopen on Thursday.
"We will be fully open tomorrow. Thanks again to PWSA for delivering water and making sure we have the water on hand for our children, faculty and staff," Dr. Hamlet said.
Dr. Hamlet also said they will be working to secure extra water should the Boil Water Advisory need to be extended.
Customers with questions can go to the PWSA website at www.pgh2o.com or call Customer Service at (412)-255-2423.
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