Bernie’s Mobile Home Park water sent to DEP for testing
Bernie’s Mobile Home Park in Winfield Township is still under a boil water advisory due to a water main break, but that may not last long.
On Tuesday morning, Feb. 17, Thomas Decker, a spokesman from the state Department of Environmental Protection, said Stackhouse Management, the managers of Bernie’s, are in the process of submitting water samples for the DEP to test whether or not the water from Bernie’s groundwater system has returned to normal.
Residents originally received a boil water advisory from DEP on Feb10.
“They have taken their second set of samplings,” Decker said. “Once they repair everything, they have to flush their system and then they’re supposed to take two consecutive days of sampling; and if both of those samples come back fine, then they will alert their customers that the boil water advisory is lifted.”
According to Decker, DEP has yet to receive the results from either of the two samples yet, although the agency does expect to receive results by Thursday.
Residents of Bernie’s have dealt with on-and-off water issues since mid-October, when they first received a boil water advisory from Stackhouse. While the first issue was resolved by November, a second incident occurred in mid-December due to a water main break and loss of water pressure.
The water issues are not limited to Bernie’s. A resident of Pine Valley Estates in Lancaster Township, who wishes to remain anonymous, experienced similar issues while she and her husband lived there between 2003 and 2021. According to Butler County property records, Jones Estates — a company affiliated with Stackhouse — acquired the property from a company called S-2 Properties in November 2019 for just under $1.4 million.
“The water problem has persisted for as long as we can recall,” the resident said. “The iron in the water caused significant damage to my clothes and I was often unable to shower. Considering the hardships we endured for so many years, I felt compelled to speak out for those who are still living in those trailer parks.”
DEP held a meeting with representatives from Stackhouse Management on Jan. 27 and requested that the company submit a corrective action plan on how it will address clean drinking water violations at several Stackhouse properties. These include Bernie’s, Pine Valley, Hy-Vue in Clinton Township, Rolling Valley Estates in Connoquenessing Township, Franklin Village in Franklin Township and Sandy Hill Estates in Middlesex Township.
The deadline for Stackhouse to submit a corrective action plan and implementation schedule is Saturday. According to Decker, DEP had not received one as of Tuesday afternoon.
