Large Water Main Break Causing Problems In Brighton Heights

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BRIGHTON HEIGHTS (KDKA) – Crews have finished repairs to a large water main break in Brighton Heights.

According to officials, the break happened in the 3300 block of Brighton Road around 3 a.m. Monday morning. Repairs were finally complete around 10:30 p.m., and crews were beginning the process of service restoration.

Residents say water main breaks are becoming all too familiar.

"This is reoccurring over and over and over again," Brian Johnson said.

"Ironically, this is the second one in less than a week. We actually just had one over on Shimmer Street that shut us down for a day," George Miller said.

Miller works as a behavior specialist at a nearby daycare, but no water means no work.

PWSA crews were however working since the middle of the night trying to repair the line.

"This is a significant line here on the North Side, it's a supply line so it's feeding more people than normal," PWSA foreman John Leckie said.

Woods Run Avenue and Brighton Road were closed except to bus traffic for a time.

For PWSA crews, the water took a while to shut off, due to the size of the valve and city road crews had recently paved over the street making that valve harder to find underground.

Here is a section of the 16" water main that split early this morning on Brighton Rd. This pipe was installed 97 years ago! We're working to replace our aging water mains before they cause the kind of destruction we saw today, but it takes time and resources from ratepayers. pic.twitter.com/a1XjSLq4Wb

— Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority (@pgh2o) July 23, 2018

According to the PWSA, a water buffalo has been placed at the intersection of Brighton Road at Woods Run Avenue for affected customers. Additional water buffaloes can be found at 1519 Orchlee Street and 2384 Central Avenue.

"There's a lot of deep interior things that I think need to be fixed: our roads, our bridges these water mains definitely," he said.

Customers on Brighton Road from Woods Run Avenue to Acacia Lane and customers on Harbison Avenue from Brighton Road to 3340 Harbison AVenue will be without water service until 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Brighton Road remained closed to all traffic from Woods Run Avenue to Harbsion Avenue until work is completed.

The PWSA has issued a precautionary flush and boil water advisory for about 4,600 households.

A map showing affected households can be found here.

Anyone who experienced no water service or low pressure in the area is encouraged to boil their water as a precaution.

Those affected should boil their water for at least one minute before using it for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth and food preparation.

Even though repairs were completed Monday night, officials were advising residents to continue boiling their water until further notice.