Boil Water Advisory In Effect For Several Montgomery County Towns

By Jenn Bernstein, Brad Segall and Todd Quinones

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) -- A boil water advisory remains in effect for Pennsylvania American Water customers in parts of Montgomery County.

That includes East Norriton Township, West Norriton Township, Lower Providence Township, Whitpain Township, Worcester Township and Whitemarsh Township.

The company says workers will test the water Wednesday and Thursday.

Following the Department of Environmental Protection regulations, if the tests on both days come back clean, the boil water advisory could be lifted, at the earliest, by Friday.

However, if the test shows bacteria is in the water, the advisory could extend into the weekend.

Steven Holloman filled up his cooler with safe water at the East Norriton Fire Department Wednesday morning.

It is one of several distribution sites the water company is using to provide clean water for the community.

"My wife needs her morning coffee, and my children are home from school," said Holloman.

The advisory was issued starting Tuesday.

Pennsylvania American Water is telling customers to BOIL any water they plan to use.

That includes water used while brushing your teeth, preparing food, making ice and washing dishes.

Do not use your dishwasher as it uses your home's water supply.

The water company says you can bathe or shower in the water, as long as you don't ingest it.

Several schools within the Methacton School District had early dismissal Wednesday. Schools in the Methacton School District will re-open on Thursday.

County officials say nineteen staffers from the Department of Health are reaching out to more than 400 eating establishments in the affected areas going over a checklist to determine whether they can remain open or will have to shut their doors until the all clear is given.

Restaurants all along Main Street in West Norriton are shut down.  As the Memorial Day Weekend approaches, there is still a small window open to get the all-clear in time.

"Their hope just like ours is that they're able to reopen as soon as possible and that will be determined by having two consecutive days of clean tests," said County Commissioner Josh Shapiro.

Shapiro says three county facilities are affected by the advisory. They include the youth center, the prison and the emergency operations center. He says water tankers have been brought in along with bottled water. Precautions are also being taken at nursing homes.

"It's all precautionary at this juncture, we don't know that there's any contamination. What we know is that there are conditions such that it is possible that there was contamination and we certainly don't want to put anybody at risk or create any possibility that there could be illness as a result from this," County Commissioner Bruce Castor said.