Valley City – from City Administrator Gwen Crawford:  Information on the water main breaks that led to the boil water order being inplemented.

“There was a planned shut down for the 5th Ave Construction for replacement of an old pipe and valve for our Main Feeder to the North Water Towers and ground storage tank. (On Tuesday)

One of the High-Pressure Pumps turned on dumping high pressure into our Zone 1 which is about 85% of the town causing over pressure on pipes and exposing weaknesses in the old cast iron pipes. Anything that was PVC pipe held up.

An example is the pipe on 3rd Street in front of the Post Office had a baseball size hole. It’s a cast iron pipe that was put in in 1921 and is scheduled to be replaced in 2023.

The important thing to know is that our Public Works was on top of things and as soon as any break was discovered the break was isolated therefore assuring no contamination.

Required testing was done by the State confirming that there was no chemical or bacterial contamination and that everything was safe.

The Public Works and Water Plant staff need to be commended on their hard work and to see them in action and work as a Team over the different departments is something to see.”

5 main breaks.

4th Ave 4th St NE

3rd Street NE (next to Post Office)

2nd Street NW (West side of Wells Fargo)

700 block of 3rd Street NW

8th Ave near Petro Serve USA

 

Previously….

Valley City  (CSi)   On Thursday afternoon, the Boil Water Order, was lifted in Valley City.

The boil water advisory is now cancelled and is no longer necessary

After sampling and testing of the water from multiple areas throughout town, no contamination was found.

The precautionary boil water advisory was issued on Tuesday this week  stemming from a drop in water pressure when multiple water main breaks were reported in Valley City.

Previously….

Valley City  (CSi)  Valley City officials reports a majority of water service has been restored, following multiple water main breaks, on Tuesday that led to numerous water outages and a notice to boil water.

It’s anticipated the boil water order may be lifted Thursday afternoon, following bacterial testing in Bismarck.

Valley City Public Schools student should bring bottled water with them to School

 

Previously

Valley City  (CSi)  Valley City Administrator Gwen Crawford  informs the public that The City of Valley City recently learned about potential imminent health risks to the City’s water supply that was  posed by loss of pressure to the water distribution system.

Residents  are encouraged to limit water usage until further notice and refrain from washing cloths and dishes or taking showers until the water main breaks are fixed and water pressure returns to it’s normal setting for residents and commercial businesses.

Crawford said the city was in the process of flushing several fire hydrants following these water main breaks.

Crawford reported several water mains burst at the same  time on Tuesday, that requires a boil water mandate, with potential imminent health risks to the City’s water supply that was posed by loss of pressure to the water distribution system.

With information to schools, nursing homes and residents, due to a loss of pressure.  City officials do not believe the water is contaminated, but the state mandates a notice.   The water sample will be taken and sent to Bismarck.  Notification was sent to residents, schools,nursing homes the hospitial, and VCSU, via the EverBridge, emergency phone system.

If it has been deemed safe the boil water mandate will be lifted, if not the mandate will be continued.

The  public notice reads:

What should you do?

• DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms that may be in the water. Only bottled water should be used for preparing infant formula. Boiled water, bottled water or water from another approved source should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice.

• Due to loss of pressure to the drinking water distribution system, the potential exists for contamination of the drinking water with disease-causing microorganisms which can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. If you experience one or more of these symptoms and they persist, contact your doctor. People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at increased risk. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care provider. However, the symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. Other illnesses may cause similar symptoms.

What happened? What is being done?

Loss of pressure to the water distribution system has occurred; therefore, there is a potential for waterborne disease. The City will continue to monitor the condition of the distribution system and will collect samples to test for disease-causing organisms once water flow is restored.

We will inform you when you no longer need to boil your water.

General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

If you have questions about boiling your water, etc., there is additional information regarding boil orders located on the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality website: https://deq.nd.gov/Publications/MF/BoilOrders.pdf

For further information contact the City of Valley City: 701-845-1700 Date: 9/15/2020

Gwen Crawford

City Administrator

PO Box 390, Valley City, ND 58072

Office Phone # 701-845-8120