Water Main Break Causes Damage To Homes In Banksville

BANKSVILLE (KDKA) -- An aging water main that was supposed to be replaced this week in Banksville couldn't wait for repair crews.

The line broke on its own Sunday sending thousands of gallons of water into the basements of neighbors.

For three hours, Lorraine Contristano watched helplessly as thousands of gallon of water gushed into the garage and basement of her Banksville home from the broken water main.

"I'm just so disappointed that somebody doesn't come out here and shut it off," said Contristano. "I'm fed up with this. This happened to us in 1992, the same darn thing."

The 20-inch water main broke near the corner of Potomac Avenue and High Oak Drive sometime before 7:30 a.m. Sunday.

It left a hole that swallowed a fire hydrant. Water rushed down Potomac and into the driveways of four homes. Zach Goulding's garage door was buckled by several feet of water.

"Extremely frustrated not seeing anything done, more than three hours later the water is still flowing. It's not draining, it's draining my basement," he said.

A foot or more of water flowed into Contristano's basement, causing lots of damage.

"I have furniture down there – table, chairs, dining room set, you know," she said.

Josephine Posti with the Pennsylvania American Water company says crews turned the water off as quickly as possible.

"Shutdowns are a series of valve turns, and each valve takes a number of turns to complete the shutoff," said Posti.

Ironically, Posti says the water main was due to be replaced this week. She says homeowners will be compensated for their losses.

"Our insurance company will come down and make an assessment; anything that was damaged will be replaced," she said.

Eventually, every house in the vicinity of Potomac Avenue and High Oak Drive will be affected by this break. Once the water is shut off, repairs will begin and each household will be without water for at least eight hours.

RELATED LINKS:
Pennsylvania American Water
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