Tuesday night’s break of a water main under Derrick Road in Foster Township has been repaired, but officials are advising residents in the area to continue to boil their water.
Steve Disney, executive director of the Bradford Water Authority, said crews had worked for several hours Tuesday to find the source of the leak, which had drained 200,000 gallons from the water tank at Bon Aire Road.
“The 8-inch PVC water main break was very difficult to locate and extremely difficult to repair as it was encased in a 14-inch steel casing below the roadway surface,” Disney explained. “As a precaution, the water authority is continuing a boil water advisory until further notice for all customers from Harrisburg Run all the way to the end of the water authority customer base of Olean Road and Derrick Road, including all side streets.”
Disney said the water authority crews worked through the night Tuesday and had water restored by 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday. By 4:35 p.m. on Wednesday, the Bon Aire tank had reached normal operating levels.
However, testing was done on Wednesday and will be done again today for bacteria analysis. “Samples need to be negative for two consecutive days in order to lift the boil water advisory that is in effect,” he explained.
All customers in the affected area are advised to use bottled water and bagged ice, and boil their water for washing dishes, food preparation, oral hygiene, making ice or drinking. Water should be brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute before using to kill potentially harmful bacteria that may be present.
“Customers will be advised when the boil water notice is lifted or if further information becomes available,” Disney said.
He added, “I would like to recognize all of our Water Authority employees, once again they have done an outstanding job in very difficult conditions. A special shout out to Derrick City Fire Chief Jim Kelley and Derrick City Volunteer Fire Department personnel for assisting the authority Tuesday evening in trying to locate the leak. Also a special thank you to Frisina Paving for providing traffic control.”
The broken pipe was located under Derrick Road near the intersection with Tinadell Road.
