NEWS INFORMATION FROM |
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THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED |
FOR IMMEDIATE USE |
BOIL WATER ADVISORY LIFTED FOR HARRISBURG WATER SYSTEMHarrisburg, PA—Mayor Stephen R. Reed this morning announced that the Boil Water Advisory for customers of the Harrisburg Water System is cancelled as of 11:00 a.m. today, (Friday, Sept. 24). Normal water usage may resume. The advisory had been in effect since Tuesday afternoon as a result of testing that morning that showed the turbidity level—meaning coloration or clarity of water, was at 1.4, slightly above the maximum 1.0 standard. Under federal and state rules, that requires a boil water advisory to customers, which was issued to media in less than an hour. It is strongly believed that the turbidity level issue arose as a result of two factors—the 7.4 inches of rain that was received Friday and Saturday at the DeHart Dam, which stirred-up the dam’s lake, and the opening of water lines, not used since 1999, to supply United Water Co. with water when that utility company’s pumps went down and they needed city water to continue supplying their customers. Turbidity, in this case, appears to have been from microscopic particles of dirt or silt. No other contaminants were found to exist. The test measurement for turbidity is known as the Nephelometric Turbidity Unit or NTU, and the maximum allowable limit for triggering a boil water advisory is 1.0 under federal and state rules. The Harrisburg Water System serves the entire city and portions of four other municipalities—Susquehanna and Lower Paxton Townships and Penbrook and Paxtang Boroughs. XXX |
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