Doylestown urges residents to conserve water after critical infrastructure failure

Doylestown residents and businesses are being urged to refrain from unnecessary water usage after a pump failed on one of the borough’s supply wells, according to the Borough Manager.

Typically a problem at one well would not be an issue, but earlier this month the borough took a well servicing the Maplewood area offline as part of a project to repaint and refurbish one of its two water tanks, Manager John Davis said. The project is expected to last eight to 10 weeks.

The closure for the tank renovation work left four wells to supply water to the 3,200 customers in the borough.

But an emergency Saturday has created a new problem at another well, Davis said.

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A second well which typically produces 250,000 to 300,000 gallons daily experienced a pump failure on May 11, Davis said. The soonest it can be fixed and back online is Monday evening.

The second well closure has not been a big problem for the borough, so far, since on weekends water demand drops, particularly Sundays, but Monday morning usage will pick up again, Davis said.

The loss of the second well means that people may experience water pressure problems, particularly in higher elevations neighborhoods such as the top of Court Street or the Maplewood neighborhood, Davis said. Those residents and businesses may notice low-flow in showers and upstairs bathrooms.

The water department does not anticipate borough residents or businesses will lose access to water before the pump is replaced, Davis saId. He also noted the borough has numerous interconnections with the township’s water system that can assist the borough, Davis said.

He added that fire companies have their own contingency supplies including tankers.

It was not immediately known Sunday evening if the water problem would result in any delays or closures for the Bucks County Justice Center, county courthouse or Central Bucks schools located in the borough.

Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Second well offline in Doylestown. What is means for residents, businesses