There is progress for Chase County water customers hoping to get service restored.
The break that drained water for Cottonwood Falls, Strong City and Chase County Rural Water District 1 has been fixed, according to Strong City officials. The goal now is to get enough water in storage to start serving Strong City residents by mid-evening Wednesday. Cottonwood Falls residents would be next in line by mid-morning Thursday, followed by Chase County RWD 1 customers. The timeline depends on not having issues with water lines as the system returns to normal operations.
The break near the old baseball fields in north Cottonwood Falls likely developed after midnight as water personnel were handling a separate, unspecified issue.
Boil water advisories continue for affected customers until further notice. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says water customers need to take several precautions until the advisories are lifted, including:
*Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation or use bottled water.
*Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker.
*If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.
*Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.
*Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing so that water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.
In the meantime, Strong City says it has ordered bottled water from Coca-Cola of Emporia, with enough water for each resident to get a case of bottled water. Residents need to bring a water bill or driver’s license to prove address. Water will be available until 7 pm Wednesday and again through the day Thursday.
KVOE and KVOE.com will have updates.
9 am Wednesday: Boil water advisory issued for Cottonwood Falls, Strong City, Chase County RWD 1 after water main break
Boil water advisories are now up for Cottonwood Falls, Strong City and Chase County Rural Water District 1.
This follows a water main break that drained water towers overnight. Water personnel were already dealing with an unspecified issue after midnight when the break developed. Early indications are the break was north the old baseball fields on the north side of Cottonwood Falls.
City officials say there is no water for Cottonwood Falls, Strong City or Chase County Rural Water District 1. USD 284 Chase County has canceled classes for Wednesday as a result of the water main break.
KVOE and KVOE.com will have updates.
5 am Wednesday: Water main break halts water service in Cottonwood Falls, Strong City, cancels classes for USD 284
There’s no school for USD 284 Chase County on Wednesday — because there’s no water service in either Cottonwood Falls or Strong City.
Water personnel are actively looking for the break point, which is more problematic with rainfall ongoing in the pre-sunrise hours. Additional impacts for both communities are pending.
