Boil water advisory for South Hills to last into Sunday after main ruptures
Massive break destroys 2 homes, closes schools
Pennsylvania American Water customers in a large swath of Allegheny County will have to continue boiling water at least into Sunday after a massive main break partially depleted two huge storage tanks and sent water cascading through a Carrick neighborhood Friday.
The break in the 400 block of East Agnew Avenue destroyed two homes, forced the rescue of three people, closed at least 22 schools and prompted the boil advisory in Pittsburgh’s southern neighborhoods and more than 30 southern and western municipalities in the county. The water rushed from the 24-inch pipe for more than six hours before it was finally stopped.
The water main will be repaired and the pipeline should be back in service by Saturday afternoon, officials from Pennsylvania American Water said.
A spokesman for the utility said that except for the 30 households closest to the break in Carrick, all else was back to normal conditions by Friday evening, although the earliest that a previously issued boil water advisory can be lifted is Sunday.
Penn American needs to have two clean water tests within 48 hours to ensure tap water is safe to use without boiling, spokesman
Gary Lobaugh said.
Water buffaloes were set up for those who needed clean water.
The break was reported about 5 a.m., when some residents of East Agnew awoke to find their homes surrounded by rushing water.
“It was like the Ohiopyle,” Wendy Gitzen, 46, said after she was rescued from her flooded home.
Utility crews worked Friday afternoon to stabilize the ground around the break so they could cut out the damaged section of the 40-year-old pipe and replace it with a new piece. The pipeline is made of ductile iron — “a common, modern day waterline” — and hasn’t had any recent issues, Mr. Lobaugh said.
The water was shut off about 11:20 a.m. Two homes received so much damage that the structures were condemned.
Mr. Lobaugh said it took several hours to actually close the valves needed to turn off the spigot, and doing so any faster might have sent a gush of pressure to the rest of the system at the risk of damaging other equipment.
“It takes a tremendous amount of time to valve down a water main,” he said. “In order to not disrupt further service to additional customers, it is a slow, methodical process.”
The water washed away a portion of East Agnew Avenue, leaving what one official described as a “crater” about 25 feet deep and 20 feet long.
The main that burst ferried water to Pennsylvania American Water’s large storage towers in Green Tree and Caste Shannon. Each tank holds up to 2.5 million gallons. But when the pipeline burst, relieving the pressure inside, the water reversed direction, following a path of least resistance. At that point, the water stored in the two tanks rushed out of the pipe, picking up speed on its way downhill.
The storage tanks were already partially depleted from another water main break on the Penn American system when an 8-inch cast iron main ruptured Thursday evening in Crafton. That main was more than 60 years old, Mr. Lobaugh said.
According to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s latest management efficiency investigation of Pennsylvania American Water, the utility had a rate of one water main break for each 2 miles of main within the city of Pittsburgh during the five years ending December 2017, the latest data available. That’s more than twice its main break frequency systemwide.
Mr. Lobaugh said Friday the agency would work with those whose homes were damaged to “make them whole.” The Red Cross assisted eight adults and four children from the street.
Ms. Gitzen, who lives with her 78-year-old mother, Rose Gitzen, called 911 about 5 a.m. as the water came into her house. She realized she and her mother couldn’t walk through the fast-flowing water, which was 10 or 12 inches deep.
“It was running so fast,” she said. “There was no way out.”
She and her mother gathered up six cats into carriers and retreated to the dining room, which was still dry. Outside, the water moved her car and a shed about 30 feet, she said.
“It was really loud, you could hear cracking noises, I don’t know what was breaking or what was going on,” she said.
About 30 minutes after they called 911, firefighters rescued them by coming in a back door and using a ladder as a bridge over the water, Ms. Gitzen said. They also rescued her cats.
Rose Gitzen said she was afraid the cats would drown because the water was so high.
“The firemen had to carry me out because I was so nervous, I thought I’d drop dead,” Rose Gitzen said. Her late husband helped build the house, she said, and she was forced to leave with just the clothes on her back.
“It was so horrible, water gushing at you,” she said.
Firefighters also rescued a man from a second house, getting him out through a window.
Businesses were also impacted throughout the area.
At Bado’s Pizza Grill & Ale House on Beverly Road in Mt. Lebanon, employees had to buy extra bottled water and pop because they couldn’t serve customers from the tap, according to Leah Badolato, whose family owns the restaurant.
Ms. Badolato said they were somewhat lucky because their food was already prepared and ready to serve before the water main break.
“A lot of people called and asked if we were open,” Ms. Badolato said. “We’re busy ... for delivery orders because people probably don’t want to cook.”
Water coming from the break had slowed after about three hours before completely stopping about three hours later, Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said.
Before the water was shut off, Mr. Hissrich exchanged heated words with a representative of Penn American Water at the scene, at one point telling her she could not walk away from him and summoning a police commander when the representative tried to leave the conversation.
Mr. Hissrich was frustrated by a lack of communication from the water company, he said later, acknowledging that he was upset at the time.
“There was, shall we say, a lack of communication for the first several hours with Penn American Water,” he said. “Anyone that knows me knows I like to establish a unified command with all the representatives from all parties present somewhere that we can communicate just for life safety issues. And that was not happening.”
He added that the communication improved later in the day and said authorities were working to isolate the break from the rest of the water system so normal water pressure could be restored to the rest of the area.
Meanwhile, Penn American Water was expanding the list of locations where its trucks were delivering buffaloes for impacted residents. While the 30 Carrick homes will have water delivered straight to their doorsteps until service is restored, probably on Saturday, those who are under a boil water advisory can fill up containers from water buffaloes at a growing list of locations, Mr. Lobaugh said.
That list was updated Friday to add the Brookline Recreation Center, Fire Station 23 in Carrick, the Baldwin Borough Municipal Building, the Brentwood Fire Department, the Munhall Municipal Building and the West Mifflin Municipal Building.