March 29, 2024

Four more areas released from drinking water warning

Four more areas were released Tuesday afternoon from the drinking water warning that was first issued Friday, June 1.

The following areas, with SIRWA billing statement codes in parenthesis, were released from the warning Tuesday afternoon: Clearfield Rural Area (053), Cromwell (060), Kent (061) and Clearfield (089).

As of Tuesday afternoon, the large distribution mains had been flushed and good water was to the points of delivery for the cities of Murray, Mount Ayr and Bedford. Water Works staff in those cities were flushing so health samples could be taken.

SIRWA General Manager Dan McIntosh said in Tuesday afternoon’s press release that he hoped good water would be arriving in Kellerton later Tuesday or early today.

Of the 28 water towers SIRWA needed to drain and refill with water, 18 were completed as of noon Tuesday. McIntosh said he hoped to have all towers drained within the next few days.

“We are currently flushing in northern Union, southeast Adair and southwest Madison counties, as well as many other parts of our system,” McIntosh said in the press release. “The SIRWA staff is confident we will have the drinking water advisory lifted by the end of the week of June 18.”

McIntosh also reported the 12-Mile Water Treatment Plant is operating well, despite not running at full capacity.

Some of the new membranes were needing more repair than normal, but that was attributed to operating them at near their maximum output 24 hours per day in an effort to get safe drinking water back to everyone as quickly as possible.

Several representatives from Suez are on hand to make sure everything works properly with the new membranes.

In addition, a partial shipment of membrane modules is on its way to Creston from Canada. Those membranes will be installed as soon as they arrive, which will allow the 12-Mile Water Treatment Plant to have four tranes working instead of three.

SIRWA customers will receive an automated telephone call telling customers when their specific city or rural area has been released from the drinking water warning.

As cities and rural areas are released from the drinking water warning, SIRWA will add them to the list at www.sirwa.org/html/warn-releases.html, along with the three digit area code that appears as the first three digits of billing account numbers for SIRWA customers.