Unexpected disclosures sometimes come out under the pressure of the moment. Water customers in Bradys Bend Township appear to have provoked and witnessed such a moment Monday night.

An engineering consultant who does work for the Bradys Bend Township Water and Sewer Authority, Ed Schmitt, was speaking Monday at a meeting organized by authority customers disgruntled over a monthlong boil-water advisory.

Schmitt reviewed how the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued the order after a routine inspection found problems with the authority’s filtration system and a reservoir where treated water is stored before it flows to customers. He said the DEP determined the reservoir is “in physically poor condition.”

The people wanted to hear how their water would be fixed. But that’s not what happened. What they heard instead was a chain of excuses why that wasn’t going to happen soon.

Schmitt blamed the filtration problems on heavy rain, saying “the plant is not built for what it got.” He described the reservoir’s deterioration as a known issue that the board has been trying to address, but “they’ve been trying to find the funds.”

People grew increasingly impatient with the answers. They ultimately asked the engineer to leave. He did so, followed by other authority representatives including the general manager Wade Ion.

But before they left, Schmitt offered one last intriguing detail. He said the real reason behind the recent issues is a change in oversight. This latest inspection was handled by the DEP’s Meadville branch, he said, rather than Pittsburgh, as had been done in the past.

“Pittsburgh people didn’t put you on a boil water advisory. Meadville did,” Schmitt said.

Why would disclosure of this information be of any significance? Would it matter to customers who suspect their families are being sickened by the water supply which branch of the same state agency is inspecting their water?

Well, yes and no. After all, it was the DEP’s Meadville office that responded to a water scandal in the Butler School District in 2016-17.

Water and sewer authority officials would be mindful to review an editorial the Eagle published Feb. 2, 2017, titled “What will Summit scandal cost, and who should pay?” That editorial reads, in part:

“There’s no guarantee the district’s insurance carriers will agree to pay all or even part of the claims — there’s nothing to prevent the insurers from conducting their own investigation or contesting the district’s claims in court. It’s also unknown whether the claims might exceed any coverage ceiling that exists for either policy. Any uncovered expenses might become the responsibility of the district — which means, the district’s tax-paying residents. ... In the immediate fallout of a crisis, things must be done immediately for the protection of the public ... Expense becomes a secondary concern. But expense can’t remain a secondary concern indefinitely — and we need to keep the thought in mind as this crisis continues to unfold.”

Leadership is not about shying away from tough decisions. It’s about confronting them head-on. It’s not waiting for the Meadville or Pittsburgh office of DEP to deliver the news, but rather, to be first to alert the public that a water problem might threaten their health.