CLAIRTON, Pa. — Tenants at Century Townhomes in Clairton say they have been without running water since February 1, leaving some unable to shower, wash clothes or flush toilets normally.
Channel 11 received multiple complaints from residents who say the issue has lasted at least a week and a half.
Landlord Kurt Price confirmed some units are without water.
The building where water isn’t functioning, while on the property, is not owned by him.
“I came home from work, my brother told me it was off, and I was like you got to be kidding me,” Charles Fulmer said.
Several residents said they have relied on bottled water to get by.
“I ain’t washed, I ain’t took a shower in over a week,” Kennan Jamison said.
Jamison is disabled and has lived on the property for more than 30 years.
“I got jugs of water to flush the toilet now. Can’t wash my clothes, can’t wash my dishes,” said Donald Gray, a tenant of more than 30 years.
For Sarah Rubero, the situation became even more difficult as she dealt with a family loss.
“My father was terminal and we had to go through this without having water, shoveling snow and boiling it just to give my dad proper hygiene,” Rubero said.
The landlord told Channel 11 that freezing temperatures caused pipes to burst in multiple areas.
He said he has repaired water in all but at least two of the units he owns but clarified that at least eight units on the property are privately owned and not his responsibility.
“They’re not my tenants, they own their own property, so I told them, ‘Hey, if you own your own property, you need to call a plumber and have them come over and fix your situation,’” Kurt Price said.
Many tenants said they have called plumbers to come and look at the leaks in the pipe, but said that was unsuccessful.
A spokesperson for Pennsylvania American Water sent Channel 11 the following statement:
Pennsylvania American Water is aware of the residents’ concerns; however, this is a landlord–tenant issue involving leaks in privately owned plumbing, not a disruption of our water service. The company’s system serving the area is operating normally.
Our team was on-site today, working with property management to identify leaks on the private side of the system. While we commit to being a good partner with the community by helping them to locate leaks, because the problem originates within privately owned infrastructure, only the landlord or their contractor can make the necessary repairs to restore service.
The company will continue to assist as needed in leak detection, but all remediation must be completed by the property owner. If leaks on privately-owned infrastructure are not timely repaired, it can jeopardize the company’s system and force us to terminate water service until the leaks are repaired to avoid causing service disruptions for our other customers.
Tenants said the complex operates under a single meter and that they pay Price a flat water fee.
“It’s one meter that services all of this. We all pay him a flat rate,” one resident said. “Even though these are privately owned, it’s an apartment complex, it’s not a house.”
Residents say they are still waiting for a permanent fix.
“I just want water so I can take a shower, that’s it. That’s all I want,” Gray said.
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