Water Contamination Suspect Could Have Faced Homicide Charges
By Peak Johnson
A community in Westmoreland County suffered mass contamination of their drinking water and police point to an individual who dumped chemicals into the supply.
According to Trib Live, Police had reported that “someone entered the community water facility around 5 a.m. Sunday [March 17] at the Pine View Manor mobile home park near Route 70.”
It was then that the person “dumped water treatment chemicals and poured an unidentified substance into the private tank that services more than 50 homes on the property.”
Trooper Stephen Limani said “that the person responsible for the contamination could face an attempted homicide charge for each park resident if test results show a potentially lethal chemical was put in the water,” according to Pittsburgh Action News.
"The fact that you would tamper with somebody's water supply shows how heinous this crime is," Limani said.
Police said that “no public water distribution lines were affected. Officials said the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County was expected to truck in safe water for park residents by early afternoon,” according to Trib Live.
Luckily, Pittsburgh Action News reported that, according to a spokeswoman with the state Department of Environmental Protection, that as long as the water is boiled it can be used for bathing and washing dishes.
The Red Cross dropped off two cases of water to each trailer. A surveillance camera close to the supply was not functioning at the time of the vandalism, “and police said the person who contaminated the water further damaged the camera.”
Spokeswoman Lauren Fraley told the news network that “preliminary results showed elevated levels of chlorine that were still within acceptable drinking levels.”
According to officials, “the contamination only affects Pine View Manor and not surrounding communities.”