Less than an hour after Reading announced a boil water order for its residents, the statement has been lifted.
Reading Benefit Fire Chief Scott Wilkerson told KVOE News about the boil order after a water line break Saturday night that kept much of the town, if not all of it, without water service for several hours. City officials turned the water on Sunday morning for activities like church but turned the water off again when issues redeveloped.
Shortly after 5 pm, Wilkerson said the order was lifted after conversations with Reading Public Works Director Brian Knight. Water flow was interrupted at one point but remained continuous, so there was little to no threat of any contamination through the water system.
4:40 pm Sunday: Reading residents in boil water order until further notice after weekend water line breaks
Reading residents have to boil their drinking water until told otherwise.
Fire Chief Scott Wilkerson says the city is under a boil water order until further notice after extended water main issues through the weekend. Much of the town, if not all of it, had no water Saturday night due to a water main break. Wilkerson tells KVOE News city officials thought the break was localized, so they turned on the water for Sunday morning activities like church — only to turn the water off again when issues redeveloped.
Wilkerson says the break has been localized near First and Franklin. Repairs continue. As the work is ongoing, the water tower is offline until further notice.
With the advisory in place, affected residents are told to boil water for 60 seconds before preparing food or drinking the water. Other tips:
*Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household ice maker
*Disinfect dishes by immersing them in for at least one minute in a solution containing one teaspoon of unscented bleach per gallon of water. Food contact surfaces like countertops or stovetops can be disinfected using the same method
*Bathing water does not have to be boiled, but children need to be supervised so they do not accidentally drink the water
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for more information.
