⬇️ UPDATES AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS ARTICLE ⬇️
The entire borough of Shenandoah is without water service this morning.
Borough manager Mike Cadau says there’s been no water coming from faucets since earlier Tuesday morning. He says Aqua informed the Borough that the water treatment plant was shut down Monday evening.
Aqua Pennsylvania reportedly tells the Borough that it is searching for the source of a leak that occurred yesterday.
In response to no water service, Shenandoah Fire Dept. has established a tanker task force for emergency water support.
Residents are being told to still call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency and for non-emergency situations, phone 570-462-1991.
Winter’s “Ugly Face” Testing Shenandoah’s Patience
Borough officials in Shenandoah admitted Monday evening this winter has been “horrible” for the community’s infrastructure.
Frigid temperatures has led to frozen and cracked pipes, water leaks, and sewer leaks.
There are numerous water leaks all over the borough, officials say. Prior to the announcement of no water service, a Boil Water Advisory was put in place on Monday night.
Borough Hall has been damaged over the last month and had to be closed temporarily due to no water or sewer service.
Roads are being damaged because, as Borough Manager says, many are built on top of ash and water is eroding them from under the surface.
Water could be leaking inside blighted, abandoned properties.
“It’s been horrible,” Council Vice President Mike Zeckie Uholik said of the winter overall during the Borough’s regular monthly meeting on Monday. He was filling in as president for the absent Joe Boris.
“This winter has shown its ugly face,” he added, noting how it’s taken its toll on Shenandoah’s aging infrastructure.
The Borough has no idea how much all the emergency repairs necessitated by these issues are going to cost.
And making things worse … this may not even be the worst of it.
Thawing Frozen Pipes to Cause More Problems
As pipes thaw over the next couple days, more water leaks are expected if – more likely, when – frozen pipes crack.
On Monday, during the first public opportunity to vent about these issues, Borough officials did not hold back.
Some of the blame was placed on Shenandoah’s aging utility infrastructure: old water pipes, some barely below the surface, and terracotta sewage pipes, mostly.
But officials are also pointing the finger at Shenandoah’s water supplier, Aqua Pennsylvania.
Borough Manager Mike Cadau added Monday that he’s “not pleased with how (Aqua) is handling things.”
“It’s been a really rough go with Aqua,” he said.
Uholik said there’s no “camaraderie” between the Borough and the water company right now.
While Cadau says he’s in contact with Aqua at least daily as the Borough deals with the leak crisis at hand, the water company isn’t being as transparent Shenandoah believes they should.
For instance, there are numerous water leaks all over Shenandoah but the Borough has no idea on just how many. If Aqua knows a number, it apparently hasn’t been relayed to Borough.
In a recent call with the company, Cadau told council members he told Aqua, “You’ve got to change your plan. You’re not notifying anybody. We don’t know what the hell you’re doing.”
Councilman Andrew Szczyglak expressed concern over the local nursing home in Shenandoah and if its water needs are being met.
⚠️UPDATE: A spokesperson for Aqua Pennsylvania, in response to our questions regarding no water service in the borough and officials’ frustration with the company, sent Coal Region Canary text about the Boil Water Advisory. (8:52 a.m.)
⚠️UPDATE: Borough Manager Mike Cadau says Shenandoah has requested a portable water supply be established at Borough Hall. That water supply for residents is expected to arrive later this morning or early afternoon. (9:10 a.m.)
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