Water main break floods fire station; boil advisory in place

The break occurred late Friday outside Elrama VFC in Union Township.

Days after a catastrophic water main break flooded a fire station and disrupted service across two counties, thousands of residents in Allegheny and Washington counties remain under a boil water advisory as crews continue repairs and recovery efforts.

Pennsylvania American Water issued the advisory following a 48-inch water main break late Friday night outside Elrama Volunteer Fire Company in Union Township. The break caused extensive damage to the station and surrounding infrastructure and left roughly 95,000 customers affected by boil-water restrictions or loss of service.

According to the fire company, the break occurred just before 11:30 p.m. directly in front of the station, releasing an extremely large volume of water with significant force.

Fire crews were returning to the station from an earlier call when the water main failed. Elrama President and Assistant Fire Chief Lenny Bailey said members were inside the building when water began rushing in.

“As they were running, they got trapped in the back crew room,” Bailey said. “As they worked to get the door open, they were able to exit the building, with water up to about their knees.”

No injuries were reported. Outside the station, the force of the water caused the roadway to collapse, forming a sinkhole. Bailey said a vehicle parked in front of the building was lifted as the ground gave way.

“The Jeep was here floating in the air, and the road was caved in,” Bailey said. “It was my son’s vehicle that ended up in the creek here, or the hole.”

Inside the station, officials reported major water intrusion, structural damage and equipment loss. Bailey said it remains unclear whether the building is a total loss.

“We’re just counting our lucky stars,” Bailey said. “It’s gonna be a process … but the community response from our partners has been amazing.”

The full extent of the damage is still being assessed. Fire company officials said recovery and restoration will take time and that updates will be shared as more information becomes available.

Community members asking how they can help are encouraged to contact Elrama VFC directly about bottled water, beverages, food donations or other support, and are asked not to come to the station unless directed for safety reasons. Support is also available through the department’s official merchandise website at elramavfc. com.

“We want to sincerely thank neighboring fire departments, Pennsylvania American Water crews, state and local officials and the many community members who have reached out with offers of help and support,” the fire company said in a statement. “The response has meant more than we can express.

“Most importantly, thank you to our members for their calm, quick decision-making during a dangerous situation, and thank you to our community for standing with us.”

Elrama VFC said support has poured in from mutual aid fire departments, nearby agencies, Pennsylvania American Water crews and state and local officials. Temporary apparatus, gear and operational resources are being put in place so the department can continue serving the community.

Sen. Camera Bartolotta also sent brunch/ lunch to the crews working to repair the break Sunday.

Widespread impacts

The water main break also had impacts well beyond Elrama.

According to the fire company, approximately 95,000 customers across the surrounding region were placed under a boil water advisory or experienced a loss of water service. At least 90 homes were without water.

Pennsylvania American Water said Saturday morning that the boil water advisory applies only to customers who receive drinking water from the company. Households served by the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County are not affected.

Utility officials said crews continued repairing the damaged main in Elrama and that customers in affected areas may experience low water pressure, discolored or cloudy water or no water while repairs are underway. Repairs were expected to take approximately 20 hours and be completed Sunday night.

In an update late Sunday, Pennsylvania American Water said it received its first round of water quality test results, with all samples coming back negative for bacterial contamination. A second round of testing is required before the advisory can be lifted.

Bartolotta provided an update Sunday afternoon after speaking with a Pennsylvania American Water public relations contact.

“The boil is in effect until the following DEP water sampling protocol is followed,” Bartolotta said. “According to PA Department of Environmental Protection guidelines, water samples must be collected to test for bacteria in the distribution system. The first samples are taken on the day when the issue has been corrected, and another set of samples are taken in the next 24 hours.

“Two consecutive days of ‘clean’ test results are required before DEP will allow the advisory to be lifted. The process takes 18 to 24 hours for test results to come back from the laboratory, so final lab results to lift an advisory can take several days after the event.”

The company said it expects to provide an update on the second round of testing sometime this morning.

After service is restored, Pennsylvania American Water advises customers to run cold water at the lowest level of their home if water appears discolored. If water is cloudy, customers should run water at the highest level of the home for three to five minutes.

Bottled water is available at the Union Township Municipal Building, located at 3904 Finleyville–Elrama Road. Union Township officials have opened a warming center at the township building for residents affected by the outage.

Residents in affected areas should continue to boil tap water for at least one minute before using it for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, or washing dishes. Bottled water may be used as an alternative.

Pennsylvania American Water said customers will be notified when the advisory is lifted.

For more information, visit www.pennsylvaniaamwater. com and select Alerts, or contact Pennsylvania American Water’s customer service center at 800-565-7292.