For three days, Buckland residents have been using honey buckets and limiting their water usage after the sewer system failed last week.
An auxiliary pump went out in the village’s main lift station between late Friday and early Saturday, causing the disruption in the sewer system, said City Mayor Patricia Thomas.
“It’s the whole village that it affected,” Thomas said. “They tell us to stop using the drains because it’s got to do with the sewer. ... We had to limit our water because of the drain. (We) don’t wash laundry, don’t shower, no bath, no flushing the toilet, on and off for the last three days.”
Water and sewer plant operators Evans Thomas, Brandon, Henry and Daryl Kirk have been working to solve the issue and requested assistance from the borough, Thomas said. On Monday, one pump was working and the crew was fixing the other one, she said.
“Once that other pump starts working, then the town will get back to normal,” Thomas said.
In the meantime, residents have been relying on honey buckets that most families have for camping purposes, she said.
Since technicians asked to limit the water usage, the mayor’s office requested bottled water from the local authorities.
“NANA is sending us 10 cases of water for our Elders and babies this morning,” Thomas said.
The sewer system malfunction is not common in Buckland, Thomas said. Last time, the issue came up during winter because of pipes freezing up, she said.
“I just want to thank our plant operators, Evans Thomas, Brandon, Henry and Daryl Kirk ... for their dedication to our water system,” she said.