Center City apartment building had no water during heat emergency; residents press city for answers

CENTER CITY - Residents at a Center City apartment building say they went days without water in the middle of a heat emergency. They say their water was shut off without warning Monday morning. The water is back on as building residents and management press the city to know what happened.

Water flowed into the Morris Building through the front door Wednesday. It came by the armful, by the carload and even by Gopuff.

Residents brought in all the water they could because they needed it, since water to the building had been cut off since Monday morning, at 9 a.m., with no notice.

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One resident, John, remarked, "Because, usually they tell you with an email. And, I said, ‘Did I miss the email?’ No. So, it went down around 9 a.m. and it’s been out since.

John was clear that the building’s electricity and AC never wavered. But, water’s crucial. He says management is telling him it was the city that cut the flow, in the middle of a declared citywide heat emergency.

"You can stay in the building, but there’s no water. So, that’s another issue. You have AC. You have a closed door, you don’t have to go out," John commented. "You can open windows, if you want. The AC works. The electric works. But, the fact is, there’s no water."

So, no washing, no cooking. In an email, Matthew Bremner, of Authenticity in Real Estate said the city had a depression behind the building and cut off water. They add no L&I violation was written and no notice given. Friday was given as the first day a plumbing inspector could address the problem.

A Center City apartment building went without water for a few days during the heat emergency and residents are asking why they received no notice from the city.

Even more odd, Wednesday, about midday, no rhyme or reason, like Old Faithful, the building water came back on. In a statement, the Philadelphia Water Company said:

The property received notice that a sewer pipe was leaking. When owners don’t respond and when damage is done to surrounding properties, water is cut off. 

No word was given as to why that happened during a heat emergency, or why it was cut back on again just as quickly.