‘WE JUST HAVE TO FIND IT:’ Search continues for water main break

SHENANDOAH – Leaders from the borough, township, school district, and business community came together with Aqua Pennsylvania Wednesday afternoon for an update on the ongoing water issues in town.

Aqua Pennsylvania President Marc Lucca and Area Manager Stephen Draus offered an update on behalf of the Bryn Mawr-based water company.

“We’re already ready to solve the problem, we just have to find it,” Lucca said.

Lucca cited a combination of factors contributing to the struggles, particularly extraordinarily cold weather and the age of the former Municipal Authority of the Borough of Shenandoah system.

“Earlier, we had two breaks that we fixed,” Lucca said. “When we fixed those, the system started to respond positively. We started to see pressure come back, water come back.”

“Given the circumstances we’re dealing with, the weather, the system’s age, and how all these things transpired together, we started to see more breaks and now we’re looking for those breaks,” Lucca said. “Unfortunately, it’s a slow, methodical process, by process of elimination.”

He gave an example of a mile-long 12″ line coming from the water treatment plant at Raven Run.

“We isolated it and it was not [the source of the break],” Lucca said. He said he’s not confident it’s just one leak causing the issue.

While the issue has not yet been found, Lucca gave a timeline for when the ongoing boil water advisory could be lifted. He said it would likely take two days from when the system returns to normal, after bacteriologic testing is done and DEP offers approval.

Aqua is also providing updates on a webpage specific to the incident.

“The main thing right now, we want to get water in town. We’re not worried about money and this and that,” Shenandoah Borough Council Vice President Mike “Zeckie” Uholik said. “This is a serious situation. We have to get this water on and they’re working 24/7.”

Also taking part in the meeting were officials from the Shenandoah Valley School District, West Mahanoy Township, and Ateeco, Inc., Shenandoah’s largest employer.

Later Wednesday, crews found the basement of Woolworth’s on North Main Street flooded and began work to repair a leak out front.

Cadau also expressed “cautious optimism” because of a potential leak found in the area of the former Shenandoah Abbatoir.

While the service disruption is ongoing, the community has stepped up to donate and distribute drinking water. Uholik said, if anyone cannot get to a distribution site, call borough hall for assistance.

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Kaylee Lindenmuth

Kaylee Lindenmuth is a Shenandoah native with a passion for journalism and the community she calls home. She is a 12-time Keystone Media Award winner, a PAB Excellence in Broadcasting award winner, and has been nominated for a Mid-Atlantic Emmy award.

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