A “boil water” advisory affecting some 18,000 homes in Pittsburgh’s northern neighborhoods and in Millvale and Reserve will continue at least through Wednesday, PWSA interim executive director Robert Weimar said Tuesday.
Both PWSA and the state Department of Environmental Protection are concerned about tears in the covering at the Lanpher Reservoir in Shaler, Mr. Weimar said.
They fear that those tears, revealed Monday morning after an expert from California evaluated the holding facility, could lead to contamination.
Under direction from the DEP, Mr. Weimar said, PWSA needs to show two consecutive days of “acceptable water quality tests” before it can lift the advisory.
PWSA has described the advisory as precautionary, taking shape after tests showed potential contamination late last week.
It wasn’t immediately clear Tuesday how long that could take or what it might cost.
Several restaurants contacted in the affected area said they were using precautions to protect customers from potentially contaminated water.
The Tequila Cowboy Bar & Grill on North Shore Drive delayed opening for lunch while it waited for delivery of bags of ice, bottled water and canned soda, according to assistant manager Courtney Watkins.
The restaurant also was using boiled water to wash fresh produce and planned to cut down on menu offerings, Ms. Watkins said.
Seven facilities throughout the affected boil water area will serve as water distribution centers: