PITTSBURGH — Residents living and driving across several blocks in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood are fed up with a constant stream of groundwater.
The flow comes from beneath Hornaday Road, sending water down the roadway to Brownsville Road, extending over to East Agnew Avenue. With the frigid temperatures, the roads frequently and swiftly become sheets of ice.
A resident of East Agnew reached out to Channel 11 with photographs of chunky ice atop the street, stating her car became stuck on Monday morning. A water main break in the area compounded the situation, Channel 11 learned.
Numerous residents of Hornaday, along with an employee of Citywide Garage Door on Brownsville, told Channel 11 that they’ve voiced complaints about the flowing water for years.
“Every year it’s getting worse and worse and worse,” said Dave Reed.
Bob Meusser said he’s faced ten inches of ice on his roadway, creating significant hazards.
“The city had to come with machines to break up the ice, that’s how bad it was,” Meusser recalled from a past year.
“This is a disgrace,” said Sue Kulick, who has lived in the neighborhood for 50 years, and worries for her granddaughter when she’s walking outside.
“I walk her down the street and we have to jump into peoples’ yards because the water’s been running for 10 years. In the summer, you get splashed. In the winter, you’re afraid a car’s gonna come up over the sidewalk and hit you,” she said.
All of the residents said that they’ve contacted 311 and various other leaders for help, but the problem persists.
Channel 11 contacted both the City of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania American Water, and were told that they’re working in coordination to resolve the issue.
“A site visit is scheduled later this week to assess the situation,” a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office said.
Councilman Anthony Coghill, who represents the area, told Channel 11 that he’s been “working hard to make sure this problem gets fixed” and that “this will be resolved in 2025.”
Coghill confirmed that the problem is the result of naturally-occurring ground water, as opposed to Penn American infrastructure.
The agencies, he said, are planning to work in coordination to create a connection to a separate storm sewer via new infrastructure, and can do so without needing access to private property.
The work is expected for this spring/summer.
In the meantime, Coghill said “DPW crews have been trying to keep the area clear and have been working to put down salt on a regular basis. They are committed to keeping the area clear of ice and are committed to keeping the area safe for pedestrians and motorists until we can finally resolve the issue this spring.”
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