NEDERLAND, Texas — A major waterline break in Nederland on Monday morning was repaired late Monday night and the boil water notice has been lifted Tuesday evening.
Most residents in most of the city should now have "normalized or low water pressure" the city reported.
Water samples have been tested and the water is safe to drink.
Because only modest progress was made to recharge the city's entire water system residents and businesses are still being asked to conserve water.
The conservation measure include limiting washing clothes and dishes, avoiding long showers and not watering yards.
The city says it is unsure when full pressure will be restored and when the boil water notice will be lifted.
The break was blamed on the excessive heat and a lack of rain according to Nederland City Manager Chris Duque.
Business owners were affected by the waterline break in a major way.
"8:00 this morning I noticed that the water pressure had dropped, and immediately I began to draw water. I felt like something had to be wrong," said Owner of Bobby's Homestyle Cooking, Bobby Wohner.
Wohner is used to adapting to obstacles.
"I drew a number of pitchers. Just about every pitcher I had back there for the tea. The tubs, the pots. And then somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 minutes later we lost all water pressure," said Wohner.
This pipe break was so severe because it's a main pipeline to deliver drinking water to homes.
The city scrambled to fix the pipe as soon as it could.
"We're now putting water back into the system. So more of our customers are going to see low water pressure versus no water pressure. What we need people to do is to continue to conserve water. Because the entire system has to recharge and repressurize in order to lift the boil water notice," Duque said on Monday.
It can take up to 24 hours to restore water pressure. After that they have to test the water, then patch the road in time for the start of the school year.
"With school starting on Thursday, that will impact them. So we want to make sure we avoid having a disruption," Duque told 12News.
This affects businesses, like restaurants, and everyday home life. The city says they can't predict when homes will have water again, but they hope to patch the road by Tuesday..
All Nederland and Beauxart Gardens residents should boil their water before consuming it according to the notice.
Here are some tips for dealing with a boil-water notice from the Centers for Disease Control...
Boiling water
- Fill a pot with water.
- Heat the water until bubbles come from the bottom of the pot to the top.
- Once the water reaches a rolling boil, let it boil for 1 minute.
- Turn off the heat source and let the water cool.
- Pour the water into a clean container with a cover for storage.
Disinfecting water
If you are unable to boil your water, disinfect it instead.
If tap water is clear:
- Use unscented bleach (bleach that does not have an added scent).
- Add 1/8 teaspoon (8 drops or about 0.75 milliliters) of unscented household liquid bleach to 1 gallon (16 cups) of water.
- Mix well and wait 30 minutes or more before drinking.
- Store disinfected water in clean container with a cover.
If tap water is cloudy:
- Filter water using clean cloth.
- Use unscented bleach (bleach that does not have an added scent).
- Add 1/4 teaspoon (16 drops or 1.5 milliliters) of unscented household liquid bleach to 1 gallon (16 cups) of water.
- Mix well and wait 30 minutes or more before drinking.
- Store disinfected water in clean container with a cover.
Remember that containers may need to be sanitized before using them to store safe water.
To sanitize containers:
- Use unscented bleach (bleach that does not have an added scent).
- Make a sanitizing solution by mixing 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) of unscented household liquid bleach in 1 quart (32 ounces, 4 cups, or about 1 liter) of water.
- Pour this sanitizing solution into a clean storage container and shake well, making sure that the solution coats the entire inside of the container.
- Let the clean storage container sit at least 30 seconds, and then pour the solution out of the container.
- Let empty container air dry OR rinse it with clean water that has already been made safe, if available. Never mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners. Open windows and doors to get fresh air when you use bleach.
Water filters
Boil tap water even if it is filtered. Most kitchen and other household water filters typically do not remove bacteria or viruses.
Preparing and cooking food
- Wash all fruits and vegetables with boiled water that has cooled or bottled water.
- Bring water to a rolling boil for 1 minute before adding food to cook.
- Use boiled water when preparing drinks, such as coffee, tea, and lemonade
- Wash food preparation surfaces with boiled water.
Feeding babies and using formula
- Breastfeeding is best. Continue to breastfeed. If breastfeeding is not an option:
- Use ready-to-use baby formula, if possible.
- Prepare powdered or concentrated baby formula with bottled water. Use boiled water if you do not have bottled water. Disinfect water for baby formula if you cannot boil your water (see above for directions on how to use bleach to disinfect water).
- Wash and sterilize bottles and nipples before use.
- If you cannot sterilize bottles, try to use single-serve, ready-to-feed bottles.
Ice
- Do not use ice from ice trays, ice dispensers, or ice makers.
- Throw out all ice made with tap water.
- Make new ice with boiled or bottled water.
Bathing and showering
Be careful not to swallow any water when bathing or showering.
Use caution when bathing babies and young children. Consider giving them a sponge bath to reduce the chance of them swallowing water.
Brushing teeth
Brush teeth with boiled or bottled water. Do not use untreated tap water.
Washing dishes
Household dishwashers generally are safe to use if the water reaches a final rinse temperature of at least 150 degrees or if the dishwasher has a sanitizing cycle.
To wash dishes by hand:
- Wash and rinse the dishes as you normally would using hot water.
- In a separate basin, add 1 teaspoon of unscented household liquid bleach for each gallon of warm water.
- Soak the rinsed dishes in the water for at least one minute.
- Let the dishes air dry completely.
Laundry
It is safe to do laundry as usual.
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Pets
Pets can get some of the same diseases as people. It is a good idea to give them boiled water that has been cooled.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality sets mandatory language for such a notice.
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