Water woes continue in Leechburg; 5 breaks fixed so far

Sep. 23—Aging waterlines are thought to be the cause of ongoing water woes for some residents in Leechburg.

More than five water main breaks have occurred in the past two weeks, according to Leechburg Volunteer Fire Company Chief John Foster.

Foster said Friday the majority of waterlines in the borough are about 100 years old. He said that's not unusual among older municipalities in the Pittsburgh region.

As of Friday, all waterline breaks had been repaired, according to Matthew Junker, spokesman for the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County.

About 3,800 residents of Leechburg, Hyde Park and parts of Allegheny Township were notified Sept. 11 of a precautionary five-day boil advisory in response to a water main break on Route 356 in Allegheny Township, near Northmoreland Park.

The break resulted in two days of virtual learning for students in the Kiski Area School District.

The boil water advisory was lifted Sept. 16, but two new waterline breaks, both on Beale Avenue in Leechburg, were reported Monday and Tuesday.

Council President Tom Foster confirmed the recent waterline breaks occurred on Beale, Siberian and Grant avenues, and Third and Market streets.

"This has been an ongoing problem since about 2020," Tom Foster said.

He said the municipal authority is investigating the causes, noting it's been a difficult time for residents impacted by the boil water advisory.

"Some pipes in (the water authority's) coverage area are cast iron and can work like a champ for more than 100 years," John Foster said.

Kiski Avenue water volume update

John Foster assured residents and business owners along Kiski Avenue that steps have been taken to ensure the fire department has access to enough water to fight fires in that area of the borough.

Fire crews encountered water volume issues while responding to a fire March 31 at Metco Supply Inc. at 81 Kiski Ave.

"We couldn't establish a good water supply," Foster said at the time. "It took us about 20 minutes to get a water source going with some of the hydrants down here."

Since then, Foster said, several steps have been instituted to remedy the water supply issue, including having tanker trucks available from other communities.

Tankers are available as needed from Gilpin, West Leechburg, Allegheny Township, Parks Township and Bethel Township.

"I want to reassure them that we have taken proper steps to remedy the issue to as far as what we can do as a fire company," the chief said.

Many of the waterlines in the borough are 4 inches in diameter and date to the 1920s.

Additionally, a newly opened boat launch along the Kiski River on Kiski Avenue can accommodate a mini-fire pumper that can access an unlimited supply of water from the river, John Foster said.

The Kiski Avenue section is home to several businesses and about a dozen residences. It has been identified by the fire company as the most water-challenged street in the borough.

"As far as fire protection goes, we've identified all areas of low water volume in the borough. For firefighting, pressure isn't an issue — volume is the issue. And I have placed a tanker alarm in place so if we respond to one of those areas we will call that in immediately," John Foster said.

Junker said crews were in Leechburg conducting routine checks Thursday on curb boxes, where crews can turn on or off water at a residence.

State funds awarded to tackle aging waterlines

The authority was awarded a $1 million state grant this year to replace about 400 lead service lines in East Vandergrift, Leechburg, Vandergrift, North Vandergrift, West Leechburg and Hyde Park.

State Rep. Abby Major and Sen. Joe Pittman pushed for the grant, awarded from Pennsylvania Local Share Account funds and made possible from state gambling revenues.

Junker said the authority is still in the pre-bid process in regard to the timeline on when work will begin on the lead service lines.

"My focus has been on trying to do long-term infrastructure on our communities," Major said. "This will at least get the project started."

The affected service lines could cause the contamination of public drinking water, Major said.

Private lead lines will be replaced up to the house connection.

Authority customers can find updates on the authority's webpage at mawc.org, and customers with questions are asked to call 724-755-5800.

Joyce Hanz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joyce by email at jhanz@triblive.com or via Twitter .