Broken Water Line Leaves Millvale Residents High & Dry
MILLVALE (KDKA) -- The Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority has started digging to try to repair a water main problem that has left about a dozen customers with no water or low pressure in Millvale.
The excavation is being done on East Ohio Street and Lincoln Avenue in Millvale.
The PWSA's Melissa Rubin says the agency has been providing bottled water to about a dozen homeowners affected by the problem.
One of them is Doris Henn, a breast cancer survivor.
She told KDKA-TV's Ralph Iannotti, "It takes eight or nine bottles to get the tank half full to flush the toilet, and I'm not strong enough to do it."
When she turns on her tap, nothing comes out.
Henn says she's frustrated because she can't take a bath or eat right now with no running water, even though she gets plenty of bottled water from family members and the PWSA.
She was elated to hear about PWSA apparently locating the leak.
"I'm going to soak in the tub for hours," Henn said of when the leak is repaired and the water's back on. "It's going to take that long to get the crust off me."
The PWSA says there are a few reasons why it took so long to find the culprit.
"It was an underground leak that went undetected, which is why we have leak detection every single day, but sometimes these leaks are really difficult to identify. Especially such a small leak," Rubin said.
Officials say the cold weather has put more stress on water lines.
"Age, older lines. Millvale is an older system. The extended cold doesn't help either. The freeze-thaw cycle," Rubin said.
It's unclear how long repairs will take, but officials say water will be restored to everyone before the end of the day.
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