NORRISTOWN, Pa (September 2, 2019) -- Pennsylvania American Water today issued a boil water advisory for customers in parts of Norristown Borough and Plymouth Township due to a main break. Crews are working to repair the break and restore service to all customers. Approximately 1700 customers are affected.
Pennsylvania American Water experienced a loss in positive water pressure on Monday, September 2 due to a water main break. 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.
This notice applies to some customers in Norristown Borough and Plymouth Township. For an interactive map of the area, visit pennsylvaniaamwater.com and click on Alert Notifications.
DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT 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 boil or bottled water for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth and food preparation until further notice.
Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses and parasites, which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches.
These symptoms are not caused only by organisms in drinking water, but also by other factors. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may wish to consult with your health care provider. People with severely compromised immune systems, infants and some elderly may be at increased risk. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.
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.
To ease this inconvenience, Pennsylvania American Water will be stationing tankers of potable water between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily at the following locations:
• Curren Terrace Apartments,1011 New Hope Street, Norristown
• CareerLink,1855 New Hope Street, Norristown
Customers should bring their own containers to fill.
What is being done?
Pennsylvania American Water crews are working to repair the break and restore service to all customers. Pennsylvania American Water will collect and analyze additional water quality samples including bacteria samples.
We will inform you when the corrective actions have been completed and you no longer need to boil your water. This information will also be provided on Pennsylvania American Water’s website at www.pennsylvaniaamwater.com, under the Alerts Notifications section.
For more information, contact Pennsylvania American Water’s customer service center at (800) 565-7292.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
Pennsylvania American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 2.4 million people. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,100 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 14 million people in 46 states and Ontario, Canada. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
PWS ID Number: PA1460046 Date issued: September 2, 2019
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Maggie Sheely, External Affairs Manager
Pennsylvania American Water
852 Wesley Drive
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
O: 717-550-1616
C: 717-317-3762
maggie.sheely@amwater.com
pennsylvaniaamwater.com
