A family in Ellwood City says frozen pipes are to blame for why they haven’t had water for a week despite multiple days of warmer temperatures.
“I have a sink full of dirty dishes, I have flies,” Danielle Golanty said on Thursday. “This is unsanitary. I can’t flush my toilets. I have to drive an hour to do laundry.”
She choked back tears talking about how she has to use spongers to wash her young children, along with herself. Other neighbors along the street have faced the same issue, with one man saying he was without water for two weeks.
“It’s not fair to my kids, me, anybody else in my street who has medical issues,” Golanty said.
After calls with Pennsylvania American Water and attention from state Rep. Aaron Bernstine, crews dug up pipes and investigated the issue. Some of Golanty’s neighbors’ water is back on. However, at her house, some faucets have trickling water, if they get anything at all.
“I’m lost at this point,” Golanty said.
A spokesperson for Pennsylvania American Water confirmed multiple homes on the street had frozen pipes. But they made a distinction, saying that the frozen pipes are the ones that go to individual homes, not the main water pipe they are responsible for.
Golanty said she was given two options: wait for the lines to thaw or call a plumber. She said she can’t afford a plumber.
The Pennsylvania American Water spokesperson explained that just because the air aboveground is warm, that doesn’t mean the area surrounding pipes is warm, saying it takes time for the ground to heat up and reach the pipes.
“Been over a week without water. I’m kinda defeated,” Golanty said.