Pottstown Water Main Break Leaves Residents, Barth Elementary Without Water

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

POTTSTOWN. PA — A 20-inch water main ruptured Thursday night on Berks Street and left both residents and Barth Elementary School without water.

Water could be seen in small jets coming out from under the street on the 100 block of Berks Street near Superior Metal Products Co. after the call came through to Pottstown Fire Police around 6:30 p.m.

The fire police blocked the street at West King Street and Glasgow Street, initially.

Borough crews on scene could not determine as of press time what caused the break. Someone reportedly was searching for a valve around 8:30 p.m. and the torrent of water began slowing as the night went on.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20131018/pottstown-water-main-break-leaves-residents-barth-elementary-without-water

Reading Water Authority Bills Include $95 Whammy

A 1947 topographic map of the Reading, Pennsylvania area. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With little advance notice to customers, the Reading Area Water Authority’s regular water and sewer bills mailed last week contained an extra $95 charge for city trash and recycling, and a demand that the charge be paid by month’s end lest penalties be imposed.

The move left Mayor Vaughn D. Spencer’s administration and the authority doing damage control, answering complaints by people who say they can’t pay the unexpected bill on time.

And it fueled City Council’s anger that Spencer shut it out of the process, then mishandled the planning.

“It’s outrageous,” customer Sandy Burkhart told council Monday.  “The city should think of us poor people who have nothing.”

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=477020

Just When You Thought Things Could Not Get Any Worse – Reading Sewer Main Leaking AGAIN

Another OH SHIT moment brought to you by the City of Reading.  The same sewer main that ruptured and caused MILLIONS of gallons of untreated sewage to be dumped into the Schuylkill River has ruptured again – near the area that was just repaired.  Say it ain’t so Joe!

Of course, the high water from Lee is complicating repair efforts!

Murphy’s Law!

Harrisburg Mayor Gets Poor Marks For Keeping Low Profile

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The Harrisburg Patriot has given Mayor Linda Thompson a very public chiding in today’s editorial due to her public absence during Harrisburg’s water main crisis that shut down state, county and city government, the school district, HACC and local businesses. 

Harrisburg’s main water line was accidentally ruptured and released thousands of gallons of water into a brownfield site near Cameron Street.  Millions of gallons of drinking water a day were lost due to the break and everything in Harrisburg came to an abrupt halt.  There was concern about having adequate water supplies for fire stations and Harrisburg Hospital.  The entire city could have been without water had this situation not been handled quickly and efficiently.

While the mayor was doing things behind the scenes, her lack of visibility has raised some eyebrows.  Mayor Thompson held no news conference until Wednesday.  The crisis occurred on Sunday and city residents have boiled water for several days.