Aliquippa declares state of emergency after multiple water main breaks

Aliquippa and the city's water authority declared a state of emergency on Monday after three water main breaks. 

The Aliquippa Water Main Authority said the three breaks impacted 22,000 customers. As of Monday around 11 p.m., all three water main breaks were fixed. The Aliquippa Water Main Authority hopes to have water fully restored by Tuesday morning.   

Officials said a water main break on a 16-inch transmission line led to a significant loss of water in the tanks within Aliquippa. The break happened on a line on the exit ramp from Route 51 into the city. 

As repairs were being made on Monday, the water authority shut off water service to parts of Aliquippa, Hopewell, Racoon and Independence. Customers were urged to conserve water. 

"Thank you for your patience, thank you for understanding," said Matt Mottes, chairman of the water authority, on Monday afternoon. "Check on your neighbors, make sure everybody is OK. Try to conserve water as much as possible, and we will be back to normal here shortly."

Aliquippa Fire Chief Timothy Firich said the department is working with nearby crews. 

"We're prepared with agreements with our neighbors to bring water tankers in immediately for fires," Firich said. "Our bureau has increased staffing over the next day or two, or as long as it takes until the problem is mitigated."