Bullskin Township boil water advisory lifted
Pennsylvania American Water lifted a precautionary advisory for customers in portions of Bullskin Township to boil their water on Thursday.
The advisory applied to approximately 65 customers living along Breakneck Road, Breakiron Road and East End Extension, according to Pennsylvania American Water. The company said the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) authorized lifting the advisory after obtaining acceptable test results from collected samples.
“The DEP requires us to test the water for a 24-hour period,” Melissa Walters, external affairs specialist for Pennsylvania American Water, said.
The area was one of those most adversely affected by Sunday night’s flooding and Walters said the testing was conducted to make sure the water was safe for consumption.
Water service was restored in Bullskin Township and surrounding areas affected by the flooding Monday, when Pennsylvania American Water issued the advisory as a precautionary measure. Walters said the company had to collect two different samples 24 hours apart per DEP protocol and wait 12 hours to get the results, resulting in the boil advisory lasting three days.
Walters said water buffaloes that had been used during the area were not needed anymore, adding that no customers in Pennsylvania American Water’s service area were under a boil water advisory any longer.
According to Pennsylvania American Water’s website, a precautionary advisory to boil water is issued when a water system experiences a loss in positive water pressure, usually due to a serious main break or low storage tank levels. A loss of positive water pressure indicates conditions that could allow contamination to enter the distribution system, resulting in the most common type of advisory.