According to various officials, the main area of the city affected and without water in some cases since Friday, was or is, the so-called hilltop area around Sunrise Avenue.
The plant pumps water through a low-pressure system which supplies the lower elevations and a high-pressure system that supplies the higher elevations to include the Sunrise Reservoir and holding tank.
“Late Friday, June 22nd, a series of water breaks within the low-pressure system pulled water away from the high-pressure system resulting in a loss of suction and depressurization of the remaining 30-inch line running to the Sunrise holding tank and a loss of pressure on the hilltop, including SOMC (Southern Ohio Medical Center).
As subsequent breaks occurred and were isolated, the stress on the low-pressure system caused additional breaks, preventing the system from regaining and maintaining sufficient pressure to keep the high-pressure system from operating properly.” According to both Sutherland and the health department, one of the booster pumps at Sunrise is pumping water to the high-pressure system – but at reduced pressure, according to the health department.
Sutherland said the city ordered one of the sleeves but in the meantime received the needed part from the city of Zanesville.
According to Sutherland, the first pump is humming away on 24th Street.
Sutherland said the second pump will be used as a sort of backup if needed, which he maintained had always been sort of the plan.
“This is the first time we’ve been able to pump all day,” Sutherland said While all seemed well, the health department release stated the Portsmouth Water Works continued to ask residents to conserve water as much as possible and to be on the alert for possible sources of water loss.
Also as of Wednesday afternoon, free tap water contained to be available for fill up at the water filtration plant in New Boston.
For residents living in the hilltop area, Rosemount, or West Portsmouth if you have special needs, or are unable to leave your home to purchase or fill up at the filtration plant, call the Portsmouth City Health Department call line.

The long-running lead saga at Perth Children’s Hospital has finally been resolved, clearing the way for the $1.2 billion facility to open in May.
The State Government has confirmed WA’s chief health officer has given the all-clear for the hospital to open, following nearly three years of delays which have cost the state more than $115 million.
That includes more than $20 million in compensation payments for the operators of the empty hospital car park.
The decision to approve the facility’s opening followed the results of water testing, showing the levels of lead to be below the maximum allowance.
The lead contamination in drinking water was one of several problems that have plagued the hospital’s construction.
That is an improvement from last June, when just 74 per cent of tests produced acceptable results.
"The public can be absolutely guaranteed that there are safe levels of lead in water at the children’s hospital," he said.
John Holland has long disputed the fittings were the cause of the problem, repeatedly claiming the issue was coming from outside the hospital.
The Government believes it is entitled for substantial compensation from John Holland for the delays.
Public open day planned for April Approximately 300 staff are already stationed permanently on the PCH site and have been drinking from bottled water since the lead issue emerged.

Manawatū’s mayor and Horizons Regional Council are stepping up pressure on the Government to deal more effectively with fallout from the Ohakea airbase water contamination saga. Manawatū mayor Helen Worboys has visited residents around the base because of community concerns about the quality of information being provided. Some had talked about suffering headaches and illness, she said. “What I am hearing from our affected community members is that the information they are being provided with is inconsistent and unclear,” she said. READ MORE: * Lawyers talk with landowners at Ohakea and Woodbourne about water contamination * Test results show Ohakea and Woodbourne drinking water contaminated from airbase toxic runoff * Chemical risk bubbles over for Ohakea’s neighbours Legal action could result from the saga, with Horizons officially investigating the incident. The Defence Force stopped using a specific firefighting foam in 2002 after concerns were raised about two chemicals, PFOS and PFOA. They got initial results back about possible contamination of water in 2015, but did not inform the Government until August. The Ministry for the Environment has since done testing at Ohakea, and found 19 properties near the base had the toxic foam contaminants on the…