PWSA reports clean tests, says boil warning could end soon.
Water samples taken from the affected area Monday and Tuesday yielded no signs of contamination, PWSA spokesman Will Pickering said in a statement.
“Late [Thursday] has not been ruled out as a possibility,” Mr. Pickering wrote via email.
Affected customers who use water for drinking should flush their lines by running the tap for at least a minute, according to PWSA guidance.
In a statement Tuesday, DEP spokewoman Lauren Fraley detailed what PWSA must do before the advisory can be canceled.
“Specifically, PWSA must flush the affected portions of its distribution system, maintain increased disinfectant residuals and provide two consecutive days of sampling results collected from the affected area that are negative for total coliform bacteria,” Ms. Fraley said in a statement.
“A lifting of the advisory must be approved by the DEP in writing.” The DEP is concerned about the potential for contamination at the Lanpher facility.
PWSA has taken the reservoir offline while it addresses possible tears in a covering there.
PWSA is now routing water to the Lanpher service area directly through large pipelines from a treatment plant in Aspinwall, bypassing the reservoir.
Adam Smeltz: 412-263-2625, asmeltz@post-gazette.com, @asmeltz.