Residents in the South portion of the Twin Cities metro area will be boiling their drinking water at least until Tuesday, according to the latest update from St. Joseph Water Department officials.
The big water main break has been repaired, however testing will continue through Monday. It appears the earliest that an ‘all clear’ could be issued would be sometime Tuesday, due to the timelines involved in the testing process.
If the situation changes–for better or worse–another update will be issued by St. Joseph Water Department.
A reminder: the boil water order covers water that’s going to be consume or ingested in any manner. It does NOT apply to laundry, bathing or other uses that do not involve ingesting the water.
Here is the full text of the Sunday evening update:
The water department located a major water main break yesterday, near Marquette Woods Road and Hickory Creek, isolated the damaged section of the water main, and restored system pressure. However, due to the temporary loss of pressure in parts of the system, a Boil Water Advisory was issued and remains in effect.
To lift the Boil Water Advisory, it is necessary to flush the water system, and then to take water samples to determine whether drinking water standards are met. Water department crews worked through yesterday and are continuing to work today to flush the system. We expect to be able to take water samples Monday morning.
It takes 24 hours to obtain the test results. If the tests are satisfactory, and the state of Michigan is satisfied, the Boil Water Advisory could be released by the state on Tuesday. If the tests are not satisfactory or the state calls for another round of tests, the Advisory could extend.
During the Boil Water Advisory, water used in food preparation, cooking, drinking, or otherwise ingested should be boiled for at least one minute. Water used for bathing, laundry, lawn irrigation, and similar uses need not be boiled. For additional information on Boil Water Advisories, see https://www.sjcity.com/…/boil-water-advisories-and-boil….
We apologize for the inconvenience to residents and businesses and are working to end the Advisory as soon as possible. We expect to issue another update Monday around noon, confirming the status of the first round of tests.
The Boil Water Advisory applies to St. Joseph public water system customers in Lincoln Charter Township (including the Village of Stevensville), Royalton Township, and St. Joseph Charter Township west of the St. Joseph River (including the Village of Shoreham).
The Advisory does not apply to St. Joseph Charter Township east of the St. Joseph River (Fairplain) and the City of St. Joseph.
For further information, please visit www.sjcity.com.
