Aliquippa and the city’s water authority declared a state of emergency on Monday after three water main breaks.
The Aliquippa Water Main Authority said the three breaks impacted 22,000 customers. As of Monday night, two of the three water main breaks were fixed, but crews were still working to repair the final one on George Street.
Officials said a water main break on a 16-inch transmission line led to a significant loss of water in the tanks within Aliquippa. The break happened on a line on the exit ramp from Route 51 into the city.
As repairs were being made on Monday, the water authority shut off water service to parts of Aliquippa, Hopewell, Racoon and Independence. Customers are urged to conserve water.
“Thank you for your patience, thank you for understanding,” said Matt Mottes, chairman of the water authority. “Check on your neighbors, make sure everybody is OK. Try to conserve water as much as possible, and we will be back to normal here shortly.”
Aliquippa Fire Chief Timothy Firich said the department is working with nearby crews.
“We’re prepared with agreements with our neighbors to bring water tankers in immediately for fires,” Firich said. “Our bureau has increased staffing over the next day or two, or as long as it takes until the problem is mitigated.”
The Aliquippa Water Main Authority hopes to have water fully restored by Tuesday morning.