Schuylkill Haven officials said the water in the borough is safe to drink despite reports of it having a strange taste and odor.
The borough said in a fax sent to The Republican-Herald at 1:48 p.m. Friday, "Some reports of taste and odor in the drinking water are being reported within the distribution system. The water is safe to drink and has passed all required Pa. DEP analytical requirements. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and expect to have the problem cleared up shortly."
Unlike many other municipalities, Schuylkill Haven provides its residents all utilities including water, electricity, sewer and refuse collection. The borough owns the dams, which pull water from the reservoir and stores it in the Tumbling Run Water Plant.
According to the borough's website, www.schuylkillhaven.org, the water is thoroughly tested and cleaned to meet Department of Environmental Protection regulations and is distributed to the residents of Schuylkill Haven, Cressona and North Manheim Township.
Borough Mayor Mike Devlin said his understanding of the situation is that excess runoff from superstorm Sandy got into the system, resulting in a different taste and odor for the water. However, he said the borough tests the water regularly and the quality is fine and does not require boiling.
"It's just a matter of time before it works itself out of the system," Devlin said.
In fact, Devlin said a similar situation occurred just a few years ago after a storm. While it wasn't expected after Sandy, Devlin said the borough knew there was a chance it could occur again.
Colleen Connolly, a spokeswoman for DEP, said Friday the department's safe water drinking program has not been asked to test the borough's water. She said the borough is not required to contact DEP for testing unless it is contaminated. She said similar situations have occurred in the past due to storms, but has not been common.