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Crews respond to 3rd water main break in 2 days in Overbrook

PITTSBURGH — A third broken pipe sent down streets in Pittsburgh’s Overbrook neighborhood Tuesday evening after a broken pipe impacted the area earlier in the morning.

The latest break was reported at the intersection of Lodge and Horning streets.

The first break in an 8-inch water line was reported shortly after 2 a.m. on Walton Avenue.

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Channel 11 News spoke to a neighbor whose wife heard the water shooting 30 feet into the air near her home.

“Thunder and lightning she thought. By the time she came down, they must have already had it off,” said George Garinger, a resident of Overbrook.

The break happened as crews worked on a 30-inch pipe that caused a massive sinkhole, which swallowed a truck and a trailer on Monday, 2 miles away on Homehurst Street.

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In total, 80 homes lost water service. It was restored Tuesday afternoon.

"You just hear this on the news that everything's breaking. I guess it's so old,” said Garinger.

A spokesman for Pennsylvania American Water says they have a team of engineers that use a four-year plan to replace pipes.

So far in 2015, Penn American Water invested $11.5 million in pipe improvement projects in the Pittsburgh area.

There are two programs dedicated to pipe maintenance.

The capital improvement program, which identifies replacement mains based on the age, material, reliability, water quality and opportunities for an upgrade for existing pipes.

The second program, a replacement program, allows for a company to make the necessary repair and make a determination if a larger upgrade is needed, according to Penn American Water.

Penn American Water could not immediately provide how many water main breaks have occurred or gallons of water have been lost.

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