Boil water advisory issued for customers in part of Kingston Township

Pennsylvania American Water Sunday issued a boil water advisory for customers in part of Kingston Township due to a service line break in the area.

Crews are currently working to locate the break.

Pennsylvania American Water experienced a loss in positive water pressure on Sunday due to a break on a service line. A loss of positive water pressure is a signal of the existence of conditions that could allow contamination to enter the distribution system through back-flow by back-pressure or back-siphonage.

As a result, there is an increased chance that the water might contain disease-causing organisms.

This notice applies to customers along the following streets in Kingston Township: William Street, West Mt. Airy Road, Lincoln Street and Mary Street.

For an interactive map of the area, visit pennsylvaniaamwater.com and click on “Alerts.”

Customers are advised not to drink the water without boiling it first. Bring all water to a rolling boil, let it boil for one minute, and cool before using — or use bottled water. You should use boil or bottled water for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth and food preparation until further notice.

Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses and parasites, which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches.

These symptoms are not caused only by organisms in drinking water, but also by other factors. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may wish to consult with your health care provider. People with severely compromised immune systems, infants and some elderly may be at increased risk. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.

General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

What is being done?

Pennsylvania American Water crews have isolated the break and tank levels are returning to normal. Pennsylvania American Water will collect and analyze additional water quality samples including bacteria samples.

The water company will inform customers when the corrective actions have been completed and you no longer need to boil your water. This information will also be provided on Pennsylvania American Water’s website at www.pennsylvaniaamwater.com under the Alerts section.

For more information, contact Pennsylvania American Water’s customer service center at (800) 565-7292.

The water company asks customers to share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly — for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools and businesses. You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.