No Contaminants Found in First City Water Test

The first of two required tests determined there were no harmful microbes in Bethlehem’s water, a result which brings the city that much closer to lifting a boil advisory for 2,200 customers, according to a news release issued today by Mayor John Callahan.

City officials said they will not be able to lift the advisory until Friday at the earliest because of state Department of Environmental Protection water regulations, which require two coliform tests over a 48-hour period.

on Tuesday and Wednesday due to a massive water main break that occurred behind the old Minsi Trail Inn along Stefko Boulevard.

The busted 34-inch, high-volume main feeds a 5 million gallon tank that serves customers in the Southside. But it was customers in the Northeast and in Freemansburg who were most affected after city workers needed to reroute water around the leak area to keep the taps and toilets running.

The location of the leak, some 24 feet underground, made it difficult for city crews to find, according to David Brong, the city’s director of water resources. Excavators dug out the site on Tuesday and Wednesday just to find the leak. Repair work is under way, and the “city is optimistic” that the line will be in service no later than the weekend, the release said.

Five schools, , and Freemansburg, and elementary schools all lost water and were forced to close on Wednesday. Those schools were back in session, as the district had supplies of bottled water on hand to give to students and personnel.

Some 2,200 customers either lost service or experienced low water pressure. It is in those areas where a boil-advisory remains in effect.

Mayor John Callahan emphasized on Wednesday that there never was any evidence of contaminants in the city water supply, but the advisory was a necessary precaution. With a leak of that size, there was a possibility that the water main could suck contaminated ground water into the system.