A boil water advisory that left the Yardley area of Bucks County in limbo for days has now ended.
Pennsylvania American Water lifted the advisory for customers in Lower Makefield, Yardley Borough and portions of Falls Township on Tuesday morning.
The advisory had been in effect since Thursday, when officials said water in the Yardley area contained high turbidity levels of 1.7 ntu, above the regulatory standard. The high levels indicate an increased chance that the water might contain disease-causing organisms.
Pennsylvania American Water supplies water to eight of the 15 schools in the Pennsbury district, which caused the district to close Friday. The schools reopened Monday with PAW providing 1,500 bottles of water to each of the eight schools that use its services.
Crews worked to make repairs to the mechanical control mechanisms at the treatment plant that caused the high turbidity, PAW spokesman Terry Maenza said.
"We understand this is a significant inconvenience for people," Maenza said.
Tests of the water supply revealed acceptable levels both Monday and Tuesday, leading PAW to lift the advisory.
Prior to using the water, customers are advised to flush their household pipes by following these guidelines from PAW:
• Run all cold water faucets in your home for at least five minutes at one time with the highest water flow possible to prevent splashing or flooding of the drains
• Flush automatic ice makers, make three batches of ice and discard; Clean and sanitize ice bin
• Run water softeners through a regeneration cycle. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines specified in the owner’s manual
• Change refrigerator filter cartridge
• Run water coolers with direct water connections for five minutes at the highest flow rate possible
• Drain and refill hot water heaters set below 113 degrees.
• For home water filter systems, change filter cartridges. Some units need disinfecting. Follow the directions in the unit’s owner’s manual.
