All Chase County residents affected by Wednesday’s water main break in Cottonwood Falls have their water service restored, but some issues have developed.
Strong City says the town was “overwhelmed” by water leak issues, so city staffers have been unable to work their regularly-scheduled business — meaning meter reads, shutoff notices and nonpayment shutoffs all happened later than normal Thursday afternoon. The goal is to resume normal operations at some point Friday.
Having said that, Strong City residents had water restored Wednesday night. Cottonwood Falls residents had their service restored by Thursday afternoon and Chase County Rural Water District 1 went back online later Thursday.
Unfortunately, boil water advisories continue for all those customers. The advisories will remain in effect until testing by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment indicates any health threat to customers is over.
With customers in these three entities in a water warning since late August, residents are being reminded to conserve water at every turn — and not to boil water for livestock.
USD 284 Chase County remains closed Friday. The district has canceled classes since Wednesday.
3 pm Thursday: Cottonwood Falls joins Strong City with water service; boil water advisories remain in place as USD 284 cancels Friday classes
Water is slowly getting restored to Chase County residents.
Cottonwood Falls customers were brought fully online by early Thursday afternoon, following Strong City residents who were brought online Wednesday night. Up next are two steps: restoring service to Chase County Rural Water District 1 and water system tests to clear the boil water advisories currently in place until further notice.
USD 284 Chase County had been on a two-hour delay Thursday morning but decided to cancel the full day’s classes. The district is now also canceled for Friday as well.
8:30 am Thursday: Strong City residents have water service successfully restored
Progress continues to restore water service to Chase County residents affected by a significant water main break this week.
Water service is slowly coming online for affected customers. The plan is to bring Cottonwood Falls residents online by mid-morning Thursday, followed by Chase County Rural Water District 1. Strong City residents successfully came back online Wednesday night.
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.
Also, USD 284 Chase County is on a two-hour delay Thursday because of the situation.
The break that drained water for Cottonwood Falls, Strong City and Chase County Rural Water District 1 was fixed by Wednesday afternoon, according to Strong City officials. The break near the old baseball fields in north Cottonwood Falls likely developed after midnight.
