McKeesport Water Advisory Extended For ‘At Least A Week’

MCKEESPORT, Pa. — The Do Not Use water advisory “will last at least a week,” according to the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. Residents in part of McKeesport have been advised not to use water after firefighting efforts possibly contaminated the drinking water system. The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County issued the Do Not Use advisory early Saturday morning for about 500 customers in the Lower 10th Ward, as well as the streets between 5th Avenue and the Monongahela River, among other places. On Sunday, the authority issued a notice that it would be at least a week until test results will be able to certify that the water is safe. PFAS and glycol in drinking water may be a serious health concern. Officials also say those chemicals can’t be removed by boiling, freezing or letting the water stand, so they say to use bottled water or alternative sources for drinking, bathing, hand washing, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, cooking, or food preparation until further notice. This possibly happened during efforts to put out a fire at McKeesport Auto Body on Rebecca Avenue on Friday. As MAWC awaits test results, a flushing program was started to purge the system Saturday morning as a precaution.