Boil Water Advisory Issued for Rock Spring Customers in Ferguson Township

A boil water advisory was issued on Tuesday for the approximately 480 properties served by Rock Spring Water Company in rural Ferguson Township.

Pennsylvania American Water, which was appointed emergency operator of the privately-owned utility last year, said in a notice that a loss of positive water pressure in the system left some customers without water service and others with limited pressure.

“A loss of positive water pressure is a signal of the existence of conditions that could allow contamination to enter the distribution system through back-flow by back pressure or back siphonage,” the company wrote. “As a result, we are issuing a boil water advisory for customers in the affected area.”

Residents on the Rock Spring system should should use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth and food preparation until further notice. Water should be brought to a rolling boil, let it boil for one minute then allow it to cool before using.

Rock Spring customers who currently have limited water service should follow boil instructions and temporarily limit their water use to essential purposes only, according to Pennsylvania American. Customers without water service should follow the boil instructions when their water service returns.

“Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms,” the company wrote. “These organisms include bacteria, viruses and parasites, which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches.”

Pennsylvania American Water will supply a non-potable water tanker and bottled drinking water at the Ag Progress Days grounds, 2710 West Pine Grove Road, and expects to have the resources be on-site by 6 p.m. Tuesday. Customers should bring their own containers for water from the tanker.

The company was working to identify and resolve the cause of the positive pressure loss as of Tuesday afternoon. Once repairs are made, water quality samples will be collected and analyzed

The majority of Ferguson Township residents and businesses are served by the State College Borough Water Authority and are not affected.

At the request of the state Office of Consumer Advocate, the Public Utilities Commission appointed Pennsylvania American as interim operator of Rock Spring in March 2025 following years of regulatory violations, outages, low pressure and boil water notices resulting from neglected infrastructure.

Rock Spring has long refused to sell to another owner, and in June, the PUC ordered Pennsylvania American to acquire the system. Pennsylvania American recently requested a 90-extension to negotiate a sales agreement, Spotlight PA reported.