The city of Woodward has its tap water back, but it took repairing three broken mains by city public works crews to restore the system.
The city’s water system went down Thursday night about 11 p.m. when a break was discovered at a water main valve near Fifth and Main streets. Efforts to isolate the break caused a second break near a valve at Sixth and Main streets.
“Normally, we’re able to isolate the affected area without having to shut the whole town down,” said Woodward Mayor Brian Devick, “but we had two breaks on two valves, which is what kept us from being able to isolate it.”
The water main break at Sixth and Main was located under 10 inches of concrete, Devick said, which further complicated and slowed repairs.
Water service was restored to most of the town by 5 p.m. Friday but when the water was turned back on, a third break was discovered in the northwest section of Woodward.
“When we turned the water back on in town, we found another break that had been hit by some contractors doing work in the area up there,” Devick said. “They’d hit a line but didn’t realize it because the water had been off during the day, so they didn’t know they’d hit it. But that was a normal break, so we were able to isolate that northwest area, fix it and put it back.”
Water was restored throughout the town by 10:30 p.m. Friday.
Whenever a municipal water system is shut down or its pressure drops below 20 pounds per square inch, bacteria have a chance to enter the system. To minimize the risk to public health, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources issues a temporary boil order for people served by the system.
“Because the water was off, we’re under the required boil order as per the DNR,” Devick said. “The boil order is until further notice because we have to have the clear testing from the DNR before we can release it.”
The DNR advises all residents to boil water until tests show it is free from bacterial contamination and safe to drink.
“We’ve already got clean samples in, but you’ve got to have so many in a row before they’ll release it,” Devick said. He said he expects the boil order will be lifted Monday or Tuesday.
In the meantime, residents should let water boil for one minute and then cool before using. They should use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth and preparing food.
Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Untreated water can be used for bathing and similar purposes.
For more information, call the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791 for general guidelines on ways to reduce risks of infection.
