Neighbors promised repairs to long-term leak after Channel 11 report

PITTSBURGH — Neighbors who reached out to Channel 11 about a runoff issue are now hopeful for repairs after water crews apparently identified the source of the long-term leak.

Channel 11 told you last week about the frustration felt by neighbors in Upper Hill, where several residential streets see a constant stream of sludgy water.

Soon after the story aired, the city reportedly sent crews to clean up the muddy leaves and debris that had collected along the impacted roadways, including Lisbon and Ridgway streets.

>>> Neighbors in the Upper Hill upset by constant stream of sludgy runoff

“We were thankful for that,” said Janet Rattay, who told Channel 11 that the runoff has been an issue for nearly two years. She has contacted numerous agencies about the problem, to no avail.

“They cleaned both sides of the street and all the way up the hill,” said Joann Keilar. “They did a beautiful job of cleaning up all of the wet leaves, but, you know, as they reminded me, it’s the water company that has to deal with the water problem.”

On the day Channel 11′s initial report aired, the Pittsburgh Water And Sewer Authority stated that crews had checked hydrants in the area, and determined that they were in working order. A leak detection crew was sent for further inspection.

The following day, a PWSA spokesperson told us that crews did indeed find a leak from a hydrant on Webster Avenue, stating “they are working on getting it shut to make repairs.”

Channel 11 revisited the area around noon on Monday, and still noticed the constant runoff and yet no crews were on site.

We contacted a PWSA spokesperson again, and were told that crews “are determining the best approach to isolate and shut the leak before starting work on the repair.” A timeline could not be provided.

“I appreciate the role that this story has played in getting some action,” Keilar said. “But we’re still waiting to see what happens with the water.”

“It’s gotten progressively worse,” the Rattys told us. “We don’t want to cast aspersions on anyone ... but in the next breath, how many calls do we have to make? Channel 11′s the only one that got back to us, showed up, and is trying to help us with our situation.”

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