Massive water main break closed county buildings and area businesses

A massive water main break in West Pittston caused dozens of businesses, schools, and municipal buildings around Luzerne County to close or delay opening on Wednesday, including several county government buildings.

Affected areas included West Pittston, Exeter, Wyoming, West Wyoming, Swoyersville, Forty Fort, Luzerne, and Kingston.

Pennsylvania American Water announced at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday that repairs were completed and service restoration was in the works.

“Due to the complexity of the repair, restoration took longer than initially anticipated,” said the water company. “All repairs have now been completed, and service restoration is underway. We appreciate your continued patience and understanding.”

Customers were warned they may experience discolored or cloudy water, low water pressure or no water.

In a Wednesday afternoon update, the company said older pipes and the layout of West Pittston’s water system caused some customers to experience lower water pressure while its team repaired the broken water main.

”Much of West Pittston’s water infrastructure is more than a century old, and situations like this underscore the importance of ongoing system upgrades,” the company said.

The company promised to continue investing in the replacement of aging pipes and other system improvements to “reduce the likelihood of similar issues in the future.”

”Our local team is reviewing this event to identify ways to respond even faster the next time something like this occurs,” it said. “Pennsylvania American Water understands how disruptive service interruptions are, and we truly appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding.”

County buildings

The county announced Wednesday morning that the courthouse in Wilkes-Barre and five other county government structures would be closed Wednesday due to a major water main break impacting water pressure in the buildings, according to a release.

The other buildings: the Bernard C. Brominski Building on North Street in Wilkes-Barre, the Veterans Affairs building on Water Street in Wilkes-Barre, the county Operations Building in Wyoming, and the Magisterial District Courts in both West Pittston and Forty Fort.

Morning arraignments were held at the county Central Court building on Water Street in Wilkes-Barre as scheduled, but that court closed in the afternoon, the release said.

Jurors were contacted, the county said.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo said Wednesday evening that all impacted county government buildings will be open on Thursday.

Impact on local businesses, schools

The Pittston ice cream shop Ballyhoo resorted to takeout-only service, closing its dining room and bathrooms due to service disruptions.

NY Fresh Bagel, Hummus and Honey, Modern Market, Agolino’s Restaurant and more were forced to close.

Wyoming Area and Cookie Corner canceled classes for the day, while Wyoming Valley West moved to a virtual instruction day.

Others were forced to reschedule events planned for Wednesday night, like the JCC’s Valentine’s Day Paint ‘N Sip with Nina Davidowitz Art Studio. It will now take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 18.