School will be suspended Monday at Serra Catholic High School in McKeesport due to inadequate water pressure and water quality concerns following a day of boil-water advisories in McKeesport, Port View, White Oak and Versailles.
On Sunday night the school announced that following consultation with the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County, “Serra will not be in session during the school day [Monday]. The school should be able to resume classes on Tuesday but students will need to be prepared to bring their own drinking water.”
After-school activities for Monday were expected to remain as scheduled unless students are informed otherwise by coaches or moderators.
A mechanical problem hampering water intake from the Youghiogheny River prompted the shutdown of the McKeesport Water Treatment Plant Sunday morning. Intake was expected to be blocked until a new pump could be rebuilt. When the pump is fixed, a series of water tests will be necessary before the boil-water advisory is lifted. It was not known when water pressure issues will be corrected at Serra, which is located on a hill above the Youghiogheny River.
Ingesting untreated water can result in disease-causing organisms entering the body causing nausea, cramps, diarrhea and headaches. The water authority cautioned that young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with health problems are more susceptible to such infections.
Administrators apologized to Serra Catholic families for “an unforeseen technical difficulty” which left the school unable to send emergency messages via its text alert system. Additional information was expected to be sent via student email accounts.
First Published: October 14, 2019, 3:59 a.m.