Yardley Boil-Water Advisory Could Last 'A Few Days'

YARDLEY, PA — The boil-water advisory in effect in the Yardley area could last "for a few days," borough officials said Friday morning.

The advisory was issued Thursday evening after Pennsylvania American Water, which provides service to Yardley, Lower Makefield and parts of Falls Township, said that water from its local plant was found to have high levels of cloudiness.

PAW did not have any new estimate Friday afternoon on when residents may get an all-clear.

But in a social media post, Yardley Borough officials said they'd "been advised to expect the advisory to be in effect for a few days."

Thursday night, Pennsbury School District announced that all schools and offices would be closed on Friday due to the water concerns. Pennsylvania American Water provides water to eight of the district's 15 schools.

The high cloudiness, or "turbidity," in the water suggests it might contain disease-causing organisms, PAW said. The company said it believes changes in water flows to filters at its treatment plant caused the spike in turbidity.

For residents needing clean water, Pennsylvania American Water has set up tankers at the following locations:

• Yardley and Makefield fire companies, 105 S. Main St., Yardley, and 652 Stony Hill Rd., Lower Makefield
• Big Oak Shopping Center, 1641 Big Oak Rd.
• Village Market, 599 Washington Crossing Rd., Lower Makefield
• Gas Light Village, 85 Makefield Rd., Falls Township.

Before drinking tap water, residents are urged to bring water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, then let it cool beforehand. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and food preparation until further notice.

Yardley Borough offered the following tips as well:

• Dishwashers are safe if they are run on the "hot" setting
• Water filters such as Brita are not effective
• Clothes washers are safe when run with hot water
• Pets should drink the same water that you do.
• Showering is OK, but if you are more comfortable, use boiled or bottled water
• Coffee makers should use boiled/bottled water

Friday afternoon, Pennsylvania American Water said its team continued to investigate the situation to determine the cause of the issue.

"We continue to coordinate our efforts with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to correct the problem," PAW said in a news release.

For more information, you may visit Pennsylvania American Water's website. Patch will update this post as more information becomes available.

Photo via Shutterstock