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Updated 47 minutes ago
A Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority reservoir system feeding about 45,000 North Side residents is losing water at a rate of 10,000 gallons per minute, which represents about 20 percent of PWSA's average daily water production, the authority reported Wednesday night.
PWSA crews are working to pinpoint the exact location of the leak in the Lanpher Reservoir service area, but officials said earlier that it could be in piping under the Allegheny River. Lanpher is in Shaler and has a capacity of 133 million gallons.The authority reported that the leak represents no risk to water quality or supply.
PWSA can feed water to the North Side if necessary from the Highland Park No. 2 Reservoir, which can hold up to 125 million gallons, and is being filled to capacity.The authority was losing water from both reservoirs, but isolated the leak to the Lanpher system by closing valves on mains that cross the river.
Water levels in Highland Park are now increasing.
The leak is the latest problem at the troubled authority plagued by chronic debt, infrastructure dating to the Civil War and most recently water quality issues including high lead levels.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection last week issued a boil water order for 100,000 East End residents because water testing in a second Highland Park reservoir indicated fluctuating chlorine levels that ranged from zero to very high. Highland Park No 1 Reservoir will remain offline until PWSA can demonstrate consistent levels of chlorine in the reservoir.
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