PA American Water responds to Elizabeth Twp. hydrant concerns

The company said it recognizes “the vital importance” of reliable fire hydrants.

Pennsylvania American Water sent a statement Monday to the Mon Valley Independent acknowledging concerns regarding hydrant data raised recently by fire officials in Elizabeth Township.

In an article published Monday, Elizabeth Township Fire Department Chief Adam Janosko said he’s been trying to acquire fire hydrant information with little success and has been coming to commissioners meetings for the last year to get more data.

At the July meeting, assistant township manager Jess Gronlund said Pennsylvania American Water met with herself, Janosko and his crew in February, but a lot of the information they received was outdated.

Janosko said they were given information on roughly 450 hydrants, but the company didn’t provide a date or time when that was gathered.

He also said they were on old Excel spreadsheets that were unable to be sent through a copier, so they hand wrote all the locations and flows of the 450 hydrants.

“Most of the (fire hydrant) lines on that sheet, if I remember correctly, were sixinch lines,” Janosko said. “They have since approved all those lines to eight-inch lines adding an additional 50 hydrants throughout the township. They didn’t have accurate data, so we have a minimum flow of old data with no information as when the new data would be provided.”

Gary Lobaugh, director of government and external affairs for PA American Water, said the company understands “the vital importance” of accurate and timely hydrant flow and maintenance information for fire departments, and they take these duties seriously.

“Earlier this year, we engaged with Elizabeth Townships in response to their request for flow data,” Lobaugh said. “We provided them with the opportunity to learn more about pressure zones within their municipality.”

Recently, a hydrant blew out in front of Elizabeth Borough’s fire department, causing the whole street to be closed and warping the street, according to Janosko. He cited that incident as a reason why they need accurate information.

“We pay a substantial fee for these hydrants, and we should be able to get the flow of these hydrants and what they can do,” said Commissioner Chris Evans, a former chief for Blaine Hill Fire Department. “I think it’s crazy we can’t get this information when we are paying $112,000 a year for the hydrants. It is something we are paying for, so we should be able to get that information.”

Janosko added that they have tanker trucks to hopefully supplement a reliable water source and that if any hydrants by the high school are out are due to construction because they need a reliable water source. They plan on flow testing those hydrants after they talk with the school district.

“Right now, there are no grave concerns that I have as far as hydrants providing a certain flow,” Janosko said. “It’s just if we go to use them if they are maintained properly and they are going to open the flow rate. They have gotten a lot better with that information, but I think the coordination that we have had with township commissioners reaching out that they are a little more on top of it in terms of providing information when a hydrant is not working or they take them out of service.”

Solicitor Matt Racunas said the township does not have ownership responsibility for hydrants and is going to look into if they can legally give out information or not.

“Pennsylvania American Water is committed to continuing its collaboration with Elizabeth Township officials to clarify hydrant data and enhance communication,” Lobaugh said. “While we’ve provided detailed information and context around system performance, we recognize that some of this may not have been fully utilized. To help bridge any remaining gaps, we’re working with the township manager to schedule further training and support sessions.”