Pump problems are still plaguing Greenville Municipal Authority as the water supplier heads into its second full day of a boil-water advisory from the state Department of Environmental Protection.

And, in the worst-case scenario, problems with a new water pump delivered Monday may extend the advisory for up to three months at a cost of about $22,000 a day, said Dick Miller, the authority board's treasurer.

The current problem began more than a week ago, when one of the treatment plant's two water pumps broke down, drastically reducing the borough's water reserves and residents were asked to limit their water usage. A backup rental pump, brought in to keep things flowing smoothly until a new pump arrived Monday, ended up causing more problems by pulling debris such as leaves and silt into the filtration system, an authority spokesperson said Monday.

That was when DEP ordered the authority's 3,700 customers to boil and conserve water.

Customers were ordered to boil water for 3 minutes because of "potential for bacteria" in it, according to a DEP news release. Though David Milhous, the DEP Regional Public Water Supply manager, said the water is still "good quality," the advisory is to protect against such microbes as E coli, giardia or cryptosporidium.

The treatment plant had to shut down while attempts were made to clean out the clarifiers, bringing water on the west side of town to critical levels.

Then, an attempt to install the new water pump Monday night failed because "the pump malfunctioned," said Maria Kerekes, water authority office manager. Milhous said the pump may have been damaged because the clarifiers and water intake channel weren't totally cleaned out when the new pump replaced the rental pump. According to Bob Laver, an operator at the borough's water filtration plant, the new pump was working Monday evening but had to be shut down after screens in the pump were not preventing river debris from flowing into the system.

Municipal authority treasurer Dick Miller said the $20,000 pump, which took 15 weeks to build, may be the wrong size or may have been improperly tested before it left the factory. "Right now we're focusing on resolving the problem. After the advisory is over, then we'll start pinpointing blame," Miller said.

In the meantime, authority workers and DEP employees worked Tuesday afternoon and evening to clean out the clarifiers and water intake channel, before hooking up the new pump again.

But even if the new pump was up and running Tuesday night, it will take at least a week for the water advisory to be lifted, while the authority builds up its reserves and troubleshoots any other problems, Miller said.

If the pump is unable to work, three purifiers may have to be brought in from the National Guard at Indian Town Gap, Pa., at a cost of $7,200 each a day until a new pump can be built or a replacement found that can also handle the clarifier situation, he said, adding that the state would not pay for them.

Cost of the "water buffaloes," which Miller did not know, would come from the water authority, but the cost of purifiers would make the authority "broke," Miller said.

He added that this morning, city officials will make a decision about the water system depending on the success, or lack thereof, of the new water pump's installation Tuesday evening.