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Boil Advisory Lifted After DEP Confirms Pittsburgh's Water Is Safe

Sarah Kovash
/
90.5 WESA
PWSA officials announced Thursday afternoon that residents of the city's eastern neighborhoods were no longer under a flush and boil water advisory.

*UPDATED: Feb. 2, 2017 at 3:37 p.m. 

Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority officials lifted the flush and boil water advisory for the city’s central and eastern neighborhoods Thursday.

Officials said the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection confirmed there was no lingering risk to the city's water supply.

PWSA officials said Wednesday that there was never any evidence of contaminants, but that the advisory was issued out of an abundance of caution.

Mayor Bill Peduto said at a press conference Thursday, "At no point were (residents) ever in danger." 

The flush and boil order first went into effect Tuesday night, when PWSA officials reported an unusually low level of chlorine in the Highland Reservoir.

PWSA Interim Director Bernard Lindstrom said he doesn't yet know what caused the irregularity in chlorine levels, but the authority is working with DEP officials to find out. 

Pittsburgh City Council members said they are calling on Auditor General Eugene DePasquale and Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro to investigate PWSA and its contracts in light of the flush and boil advisory, as well as high levels of lead and billing issues. 

More than 100,000 PWSA residents in neighborhoods across the city were affected.

Public safety officials said 37,000 gallons of water were delivered to filling stations for affected customers in the last two days -- 19,000 gallons were used.