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Frozen Water in Shenandoah

SHENANDOAH — It’s been a rough winter for some residents in Shenandoah. It’s not just because of snow or freezing temperatures, but because ma...

SHENANDOAH -- It's been a rough winter for some residents in Shenandoah. It's not just because of snow or freezing temperatures, but because many people there don't have water.

Charles MacDowell lives on Furnace Street and said his pipes have been dry for 10 days.

"I have oil heat and it runs on water and my furnace broke down for two days because there wasn't any water going into it."

At least one resident on West Atlantic Street has been without water for a few days.

Barbara Tokarick said the pipes in her home are fine, it's the ones in the in the main line that are frozen. She said the water authority told her that it's the home owner's issue to fix.

"No one seems to want to help you and the ones that can help are so busy and so expensive."

Now, Tokarick is using a heater in her basement to open the pipes up.

Tokarick and other residents said the Municipal Water Authority of the Borough of Shenandoah should be fixing the problem since they think it's the pipes in the ground that are frozen, not the ones in their homes.

The water company said it stopped thawing those pipes two years ago and now the company isn't responsible for the frozen pipes.

People in Shenandoah aren't buying that.

"We'd all like to know whose responsibility it really is," said MacDowell.

The homeowners are calling plumbers because that's what the water company suggested.

MacDowell said three different companies came to his house and none were able to fix the issue, so he got creative and is now taking water from his neighbors house through a hose, but some other people in Shenandoah did get lucky.

Newswatch 16 was there when a plumber helped Robert Dominitis get his water back on.

It took two hours and a lot of heat, but after three days, he's just happy he can take a shower.

"This water will not be shut off until spring time. If there's an extra charge on the bill, so be it," said Dominitis.

The water company in Shenandoah said it feels bad for the people without water, but the company is understaffed and three crews are already working overtime trying to fix main lines.

For now, there's no quick solution for the water issue unless spring weather comes along within the next few days.

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