Bernie’s residents once again deal with water issues
Weeks after they were told previous problems had been resolved, residents of Bernie’s Mobile Home park in Winfield Township are again facing issues with their water.
On Wednesday night, Dec. 17, residents received an email from Stackhouse Management, the company that manages the park, notifying them of a water main break and a loss of positive water pressure. The email advises residents not to drink any water without first boiling it and not to use any untreated water for washing, brushing teeth or preparing food.
“A loss of positive water pressure is a signal of the existence of conditions that allow contamination to enter the distribution system through backflow by backpressure or back-siphonage,” the email reads.
This marks the second time in 2025 that residents of the park are dealing with water issues. In November, residents of the park reported they had experienced issued with contaminated water for at least a month, prompting Winfield Township to donate 168 cases of bottled water.
Resident Kellie Walker said she was “at her wit’s end” that a similar situation is unfolding again. She said she has tried to reach out to multiple people within Butler County, including the county commissioners’ office and planning commissioner Mark Gordon.
“About a month ago they were telling us not to use the water at all,” Walker said. “They said they fixed it and now it’s back to not being OK. I don't know what to do because this is exhausting. I’ve reached out (to management) several times today trying to talk and nobody will respond.”
On Thursday afternoon, Dec. 18, Walker described the water at Bernie’s as “somewhat orange.”
Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche said the commissioners’ office is aware of the situation and is hopeful that Stackhouse can fix the water main break on its own.
“Because it’s privately owned and it’s private property, there is very little that any governmental entity can do here,” Osche said. “We can continue to monitor the situation. If it becomes necessary to provide water again we will do that. But we’re waiting to see if they would get it fixed in an appropriate amount of time.”
Winfield Township Supervisor Matthew Klabnik said Bernie’s residents in need of potable water can stop by the township office during business hours to pick up donated bottled water that was leftover from the previous emergency. The bottled water was donated in late November by Lou Negley’s Bottled Water Service in Connoquenessing Township.
“We still have water from the last time. If they need it, they can come to the township building,” Klabnik said. “People can come to the township building when it’s open, and they can call to make sure that the building is open.”
Bernie’s isn’t the only Stackhouse-owned mobile home park which has had water issues. Residents of Rolling Valley Estates in Connoquenessing Township have reported experiencing muddy, sediment-contaminated water in recent months.
