MIFFLIN COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA — A tractor-trailer crash into the Laurel Creek Reservoir on Friday killed the driver and triggered a water emergency for Mifflin County residents, with a Do Not Drink the Water Notice issued Saturday after the crash disrupted the county’s primary water supply.
The Crash
According to Pennsylvania State Police, the tractor-trailer was traveling westbound on U.S. 322 in Mifflin County Friday morning when the driver failed to negotiate a right curve and struck a center concrete divider. The vehicle left the right side of the roadway at the Filter Plant Access Road, crashed through a guardrail onto a gravel road, traveled approximately 150 feet, and plunged over an embankment into the Laurel Creek Reservoir below.
The tractor was completely submerged. The trailer was partially submerged and visible above the waterline. The Mifflin County coroner confirmed the truck driver died in the crash. The driver’s name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
First responders including county water authority employees, PennDOT, and hazmat crews were on scene from approximately 10 a.m. Multiple recovery vehicles staged on the Milroy onramp. A tow truck parked near the damaged guardrail. Boats and divers worked in the water around the submerged truck. U.S. 322 westbound was reduced to one lane during the recovery effort. The truck and its cargo were removed from the reservoir at 10 p.m.
Responding agencies included the Mifflin County EMA Director, Troop G CARS Unit, Milroy EMS, Milroy Fire Company, Newton-Wayne Fire Company Dive Team, City Hook and Ladder Water Rescue, River Raptor, and Eagle Towing.
The Water Emergency
The Mifflin County Municipal Authority immediately halted water production at the Laurel Creek Filtration Plant and issued a mandatory water use restriction following the crash due to the potential for hazardous material contamination. No confirmed contamination has been detected.
“Our technical team is conducting intensive water quality testing. MCMA is working closely with the PA Department of Environmental Protection to monitor the situation,” the authority said. The DEP required the county to rely on alternate well fields until water quality testing from the reservoir is completed.
Saturday Update
On Saturday, April 18, MCMA issued a formal Do Not Drink the Water Notice after an electrical transformer surge caused a catastrophic loss to one of the primary alternate water sources, making it impossible to meet water system demands without drawing from the Laurel Creek Reservoir. The Laurel Creek Filtration Plant is scheduled to resume withdrawing and treating water from the reservoir Saturday and begin distributing to the water system.
MCMA noted that water already in the distribution system before the notice was drawn and treated before the crash and meets water quality standards. Results from quality testing should be available within a couple of days. The authority will announce locations where water will be made available to residents.
Residents in the affected area are advised to conserve water for essential uses only until normal operations resume. Pennsylvania State Police continue to investigate the crash.
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