Some residents on Fifth Avenue in city still without water

Pittsburgh firefighters pumped water out of the basement of Holy Assumption of St. Mary Orthodox Church on South 19th Street in the South Side after a 6-inch water main broke about 6:52 p.m. Wednesday, said Melissa Rubin, spokeswoman for the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority.

A handful of customers were left without service when crews shut off the water following the break. Rubin said crews would begin repairs Thursday morning.

Fifth Avenue residents between Jumonville and Stevenson streets also remained without water after a 16-inch water main ruptured about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. PWSA expected most service to be restored by 5 a.m. Thursday. Workers took bottled and gallons of water to apartment residents in the former Fifth Avenue School, Rubin said.

Crews restored service to most of the affected Oakland and Uptown residents and businesses by early evening, said Rubin. They will remain on site until the line is repaired, she said.

A large portion of the area had low water pressure including several medical facilities in Oakland.

Tammy Ewin, a Duquesne University spokeswoman, said several campus buildings were affected.

“The city stopped the water flow and water is back in all our buildings,” Ewin said. “Class schedules haven't been affected.”

PWSA told customers that water may appear brown or have slight breaks in pressure as the system clears.

UPMC officials said some facilities in Oakland and Uptown, including Magee-Womens Hospital, UPMC Mercy and office buildings in Oakland, experienced significant water shortages and outages. Supplies, including water and hand sanitizers, were distributed to ensure patient care.

Ken Service, a University of Pittsburgh spokesman, said the campus lost water for a couple hours, but full service was restored.