The Upper Halfmoon Water Company on Saturday lifted a precautionary boil water advisory that had been in place for the past two days in the Stormstown area.
‘Customers can resume normal water usage without taking additional measures,’ a notice from the company said. ‘If you experience cloudy or discolored water, you should run your faucets for a few minutes until the water runs clear.’
An advisory had been in place since Thursday afternoon when a water main break occurred on Lutz Lane and resulted in a loss of positive system pressure, a condition that potentially allows for contaminants to enter the system.
Following a major water line leak, Department of Environmental Protection regulations call for two consecutive water quality samples to to test negative for contaminants. The first sample tested on Thursday came back negative, and results from the second were returned on Saturday showing no contaminants.
A ‘confluence of events’ created the situation that caused the boil water advisory, according to the company. The larger of two storage tanks was offline for renovation at the time of the leak and the system was being serviced by the smaller one.
‘When a major leak on an 8-inch line occurred, the small tank was emptied before the leak could be isolated and that caused a loss of system pressure and the need for a Precautionary Boil Water Advisory, following to DEP regulations,’ a company statement said. ‘Under normal circumstances, with both tanks operational, the leak would have been isolated before system pressure was lost and an advisory would not have been needed.’
The renovation on the larger tank was the first in 25 years.
‘We apologize for the inconvenience that this has caused to all of our customers and thank you for your patience as we worked to remedy this situation,’ the company’s statement said.
A privately-owned company, Upper Halfmoon Water Company provides service to more than 600 homes in Halfmoon Township.
