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Dozens in Conshohocken lose water, gas after sinkhole and main break
A massive sinkhole and water main break left dozens of homes in Conshohocken without water and gas as crews worked through the night and into Thursday to make repairs.
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. - A massive sinkhole and water main break left dozens of homes in Conshohocken without water and gas as crews worked through the night and into Thursday to make repairs.
Crews work to restore water and gas after sinkhole opens
What we know:
As of Thursday night, Aqua Pennsylvania says water has been restored for 46 customers and only four homes are still without water. PECO reports that six customers remain without gas, down from a total of 83 who lost service.
A spokesperson for Aqua PA said it’s not clear if the water main break caused the sinkhole or vice versa.
PECO says the water main break damaged PECO natural gas equipment. Utility workers have gone door to door to check on neighbors and restore heat.
Neighbors described the situation as the biggest event to hit the street in a long time. "It has been extra interesting because our daughter just had ACL surgery on Tuesday so we have no ice for her ice machine, so we’ve been taking ice from the snow," said Alli Baron of Conshohocken.
Residents adapt as repairs continue
The water main break forced neighbors to find creative ways to get by, including collecting water from a large tank brought in by Aqua PA and using pasta pots to store water for household needs.
Army veteran Dennis Beaver said, "There are two toilets won’t flush and I got one bucket of water, I took it up... this is challenging for me. My leg keeps getting sore. I probably shouldn’t be doing this anyway, but I have no choice."
Many residents received cases of water from crews, while others also filled bathtubs to have water on reserve. "Right now we’re just filling up our tub so we can use it for maybe later... they brought us some bottled water for us to drink. This is just in case we need it. You never know," said Sean of Conshohocken.
Utility companies left green "emergency shut-off" tags on door knobs and checked on neighbors as they worked to restore heat.
"The heat is on, which is good. They said they can’t turn on the hot water heater yet till we have water," said Jackie Beaver of Conshohocken. "We’ll just hang in there."
The Source: Information from Aqua Water, PECO and interviews with Conshohocken residents.