SELLERSVILLE — The North Penn Water Authority had repaired a water main break in Sellersville by Sunday evening, but a boil water advisory will remain in effect for Sellersville and West Rockhill customers until at least Tuesday.
A major water main break in Sellersville occurred during the early hours of Sunday, June 29, impacting a large pipe located at the stream crossing behind the Sellersville firehouse, according to a press release issued by the NPWA shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday.
The water main break impacted the approximately 1,900 customers in Sellersville Borough and West Rockhill Township, while customers in no other municipalities were affected, according to the NPWA. The authority’s telephone emergency notification system called all customers in the Sellersville system at 8:40 a.m. to alert them.
As a result of the water main break, the NPWA saw low level in its water storage tank and resulting “significant loss of water pressure in the entire Sellersville distribution system,” according to the release. Customers were asked to conserve water by limiting usage to the “most essential purposes.”
Additionally, all customers in the two municipalities were advised to boil water before using it for drinking, cooking or food preparation, according to the NPA.
“A loss of positive water pressure is a signal of the existence of conditions that could allow contamination to enter the distribution system through backflow by back pressure or back-siphonage. As a result, there is an increased chance that the water might contain disease-causing organisms,” the NPWA wrote.
NPWA staff repaired the water main break by approximately 8 p.m. Sunday, according to a second release issued at 9:55 p.m. At that time, water tank levels and water pressure had returned to normal, according to the NPWA.
“The system has recovered well from the large loss of flow and pressure that was experienced earlier on Sunday morning,” the NPWA wrote.
The boil water advisory, however, still remains in effect for Sellersville and West Rockhill customers.
Water samples were taken at seven locations in the Sellersville system and will undergo NPWA Water Quality lab testing procedures, which require at least 24 hours before the results of the first samples can be read, according to the NPWA. A second round of samples, as required by the DEP, will be taken Monday.
“If all goes well with both rounds of samples, and if all test results are found to be clean, then the earliest that we will be able to cancel the boil water advisory will be sometime on [Tuesday], July 1,” the NPWA wrote.
“This is a precautionary measure, since the loss of positive water pressure in the system caused by the main break created an environment in which it was theoretically possible for contaminants to enter the distribution system through a backflow. Whether or not this actually occurred cannot be known definitively. At this point, there is no data than can validate that there is, or ever was, the occurrence of unsatisfactory water quality during this incident,” the NPWA wrote.
During the boil water advisory, the NPWA advises customers not to drink water without boiling in first.
“Bring all water to a rolling boil, let it boil for one minute and cool before using; or use bottled water. You should use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth and food preparation until further notice,” the authority advised.
Inadequately treated water could potentially contain organisms such as bacteria, viruses and parasites, which can cause symptoms including nausea, cramps, diarrhea and headaches, according to the initial release.
General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
For more information, contact North Penn Water Authority at 215-855-3617.