Contaminants confirmed in McKeesport water

By JEFF STITT

jstitt@yourmvi.com

The size of the area under a “do not use” water advisory from the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County got smaller Friday, but about 30 customers in the Lower 10th Ward are still affected.

Those residents cannot use water from the tap for anything more than flushing a toilet.

“Contaminants from firefighting foam have been confirmed following an additional round of testing,” MAWC spokesman Matt Junker said late Friday afternoon.

Junker didn’t give an estimate of when the advisory might be dropped  and said it can take days for test results to come back.

The entire Lower 10th Ward was under the “do not use” advisory for nearly a week. It was put in place after a devastating fire July 16 at McKeesport Auto Body on Rebecca Avenue. Allegheny County fire marshals ruled that the fire was accidental and started as a result of downed power lines.

According to a map provided by MAWC, the area still impacted is between the railroad (West Fifth Avenue side of the tracks) and a portion of West Sixth Avenue. Also located in the impacted area are Dawson Street and portions of Rebecca Street, Romine Avenue, West Fifth Avenue, Pickwick Alley and Arlington Avenue.

“Results from a round of flushing and testing Wednesday indicate that constituents from firefighting foam did enter the water system,” Junker said in a release Friday evening. “Evidence of these contaminants was detected in the area that continues under the do not use notice.”

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