Water Plant Back in Operation;
Boil-Water Advisory Remains

- Advisory will remain in effect for at least two days
- Water tankers running low, some users say

By Staff Reports
The Tube City Almanac
October 13, 2019
Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, White Oak News

(This story will be updated with new information periodically)

Volunteer firefighters from White Oak No. 1 and Rainbow handed out cases of bottled water at the borough’s municipal complex on Sunday afternoon. (Photo courtesy White Oak Office of Emergency Management, via Facebook)

The McKeesport water treatment plant is back in production, but is pumping slowly to purge air from the distribution system.

Authority spokesman Matthew Junker said the plant went back into operation at 3:30 p.m. Sunday. The plant shut down Saturday night when a pump failed.

However, a boil-water advisory will remain in effect until further notice for the city, Port Vue, Versailles and White Oak. Some customers at higher elevations in Port Vue and McKeesport were reporting a complete lack of water on Sunday.

The lack of water pressure means there is a possibility that contaminated water could have been sucked back into the system, state health officials said.

Once the system is filled, the water must be tested and found to be safe on two successive occasions. Each test takes 24 hours, Junker said, so the boil-water advisory is expected to remain in effect for at least two days.

An intake pump that draws water from the Youghiogheny River failed Saturday night, Junker said. The pump was rebuilt and reinstalled, but additional issues arose, he said, which delayed refilling the system.

Water should be boiled for at least one minute, and allowed to cool, before being used for drinking, cooking, washing dishes or brushing teeth, or else bottled water should be used.

Water tankers are available at:

McKeesport: 238 Atlantic Ave. in lower 10th Ward; Walnut and 12th streets, Third Ward; UPMC McKeesport Hospital

Versailles: Walnut and Juniper streets

White Oak: Municipal building, 2280 Lincoln Way; PNC Bank, 1612 Lincoln Way

Port Vue: American Legion Post 447, 304 Gumbert St.; shopping center, 1515 Washington Blvd.

Several of the tankers were reported to be running low on water Sunday afternoon.

White Oak police indicated that the tankers at the borough building and PNC Bank had run out Sunday night and it was not clear when another delivery would be made by the water authority.

A limited supply of boxes of bottled water was distributed at the borough building on Sunday, but only one box per vehicle was permitted, police said.

Originally published October 13, 2019.

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