CARNEGIE, Pa. -- Carnegie Borough water customers who haven't paid their bills may find their taps are dry on Tuesday morning.
In early October, borough leaders said they planned to shut off water service to customers on Nov. 2, if they have a bill that is more than 31 days late.
Borough leaders said a total of more than $350,000 in sewage bills is owed by delinquent customers.
"We have shut off some water already," borough Manager Whitney Brady told Channel 4 Action News' Shannon Perrine. "At the same time, we have had people pay in full or get on a payment plan."
Brady said Carnegie has a list of 800 residential and commercial properties which owe for water and sewer services. She told Perrine that notices have been sent and the borough has been knocking on doors without success.
"Look, you need to pay," Brady told Perrine, adding that Carnegie's sewer system is falling apart and the borough won't be able to fix it if everyone doesn't start paying for their services.
The borough says it can't afford to fix its crumbling sewer and water pipes -- as required by the state -- because it has to pay the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority first.
Nasty flooding after Hurricane Ivan in 2004 showed how bad the infrastructure in Carnegie is.
"You can remember back to the flood -- the infrastructure in Carnegie is old and it is crumbling," Brady said. "If you drive down Main Street during a heavy storm, you will see there is flooding, the manholes get backed up and the catch basins get backed out."
Brady said workers will start turning off water service to everyone on the list, going home by home and business by business on Tuesday morning, unless they've made arrangements to pay up.
"Some people are not paying because of job loss. Some people aren't paying because they're just overwhelmed by the bill," Brady said. "I think the borough is offering them an opportunity to pay, and pay on a payment plan."
"Some people are not paying because of job loss. Some people aren't paying because they're just overwhelmed by the bill," Brady said. "I think the borough is offering them an opportunity to pay, and pay on a payment plan."
Some of the locations identified as owing money include the Carnegie Towers, a low-income, high-rise apartment building. The borough says the building management owes more than $7,000.
Hundreds of tenants in the Towers could see their water shut off. Management wouldn't respond to questions about it from Channel 4 Action News on Monday.
Channel 4 Action News' Shannon Perrine is following this story. Stay tuned to this page and Channel 4 Action News starting at 5 p.m. for her report.
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