PWSA issues boil-water advisory for Pittsburgh's Ridgemont, Westwood and Elliott sections

Pittsburgh residents of the Ridgemont, Westwood and Elliott neighborhoods are being advised Sunday to continue to flush their water systems and boil their water because of a water main break in Mt. Washington, the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority said.

The boil water advisory for about 870 residences remains in effect until the authority completes two rounds of tests on the water, Rebecca Zito, authority spokeswoman, said Sunday morning.

The first round is to be conducted Sunday morning, with the second round of testing to be done 24 hours later, Zito said. The water is tested to determine if there is adequate disinfectant levels and to verify that the water is safe to consume.

Residents in the impacted area should run water for at least one minute and then boil it for at least one minute before using it for consumption.

The problem occurred because a 16-inch water main ruptured along Virginia Avenue at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. That resulted in low pressure or no pressure at all for some authority customers in that area, Zito said. When there is a loss of pressure, contaminants can enter the drinking water.