A boil water notice has been issued for the City of Early until further notice because of a water leak. Early City Administrator Tony Aaron issued the following release:
“On 04/25/2015 around 10:30 p.m. reports began to come in to on-call public works officials and the Early Police Department of a loss of water pressure. The loss of pressure was believed to be due a water leak even though no leak had been reported or located. Multiple city employees began looking for the leak which went undetected for several hours. Officer Stephen Means with the Early Police Department located running water under a bridge on Live Oak. The water was traced back to a location in the 1000 block of Early Blvd.
The source of the leak was found to be a ruptured 12” water main crossing a creek bed in that area. The creek has moved the water away from the area and off city streets, which made the leak hard to locate. Due to the amount of water loss the system pressure dropped to unacceptable levels. This drop of pressure and break in the line requires the safety precaution of a boiled water notice. Crews worked through the night to repair the water leak and return the system to its normal level of pressure. The next step to insure that water has returned to safe drinking levels is to pull various samples across town and have them tested by labs. It is expected that we will have positive results for the test and lift the boiled water notice by Monday afternoon.
We do ask as a safety precaution to follow the recommendations of TCEQ and boil water until further notice. That notice will be released as quickly as possible. This is the first time for a boiled water notice for the City of Early in a very long time, and the first time of such an event in my career. I would like to add that I am very pleased with the level of hard work and dedication of the employees of the City of Early. Without complaint, several employees came into work, although they were not on call, to help restore the city’s water system to the citizens. This type of team work and sacrifice is what makes me proud to have them as employees.
Public Notice to Boil Water
Due to a loss of system pressure as a result of a major water line break in the 1000 block of Early Blvd in Early, Texas 76802, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has required our water system, The City of Early PWS ID # 0250015, to notify customers of the need to boil their water prior to consumption.
To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and making ice should be boiled and cooled prior to use. The water should be brought to a vigorous, rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes. In lieu of boiling, you may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source.
When it is no longer necessary to boil the water, the water system officials will notify you that the water is safe for consumption. Instructions to discontinue boiling will be issued in the same manner as this notice.
If you have questions concerning this matter, you may contact Wade Walker or Tony Aaron at 325-643-5451.”
