Leander boil water notice extended through Friday

Boil water notice to remain through Friday City urges all residents to restrict outdoor watering

07/20/2020, 5 a.m. — Leander customers currently subject to a boil water notice issued over the weekend will remain under notice through at least Friday as the city works to flush out water lines and obtain samples for testing throughout affected areas — see map

In order to accelerate a full recovery of the city's water system and rescind the notice by Friday afternoon, officials urge Leander customers to cease or restrict all outdoor watering this week. Push notifications will go out around 7 a.m. on Monday morning to remind all customers.

"Peak water demands in the summer are largely caused by outdoor watering," said Public Information Officer Mike Neu. "If affected customers can stop irrigation over the next few days, and all residents can limit outdoor watering, our water system will recover much faster."

The city will begin flushing out affected water lines in phases starting Monday, and the first phase of sampling and testing will start Tuesday. Residents may see city workers releasing water from hydrants and valves around the city during the flushing process, which is necessary to clear the lines of any air or debris.

Leander officials stress that while Saturday's boil water notice is a serious precaution for customers, the likelihood of contamination is low with water system recovery efforts now underway.

"Saturday's boil water notice was prompted by a sharp drop in water system pressures, but we believe the likelihood of contamination is low," said Neu. "Boil water notices are often triggered by water line breaks, floods or other infiltration disruptions, which didn't occur in this case. But it's still important for customers to follow CDC water consumption guidance during this notice."

CDC recommendations

Recommendations for households under a boil water notice are provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some include:

Use only bottled or boiled water for drinking, to prepare and cook food, and to brush teeth. If bottled water is not available, bring water to a full rolling boil for 1 minute, then allow it to cool before use. Tap water should be boiled even if filtered. Handwashing with tap water and soap is OK. Be sure to scrub with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and rinse well under running water. Otherwise, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Bathing and showering is OK. Just be careful not to swallow any water. During the coronavirus pandemic, keeping hands clean is especially important to help prevent the virus from spreading. More information is available on the CDC website (link is external).

Stage 2 water restrictions

Leander’s boil water notices follows a recent change in city water restrictions that began last Thursday. Sharp increases in water consumption amid high seasonal temperatures prompted the city to activate Stage 2 of its drought contingency plan, which limits outdoor watering to no more than twice a week and only before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m. each day.

Sandy Creek Water Treatment Plant

Leander customers currently affected by the boil water notice receive water from the city’s Sandy Creek Water Treatment Plant located near Lake Travis. An early morning power failure at the plant on Friday kept water from refilling Leander’s storage facilities as high demand persisted into the weekend. Reduced storage volumes triggered a significant drop in water pressures, prompting Saturday’s boil water notice.

Sandy Creek Water Treatment Plant is one of two treatment facilities that serves Leander water customers. Other parts of the city receive treated water from a plant managed in partnership by the cities of Leander, Cedar Park and Round Rock under the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority (link is external) (BCRUA).

Leander customers are consuming an average of 12-15 million gallons of treated water per day in July, with 8-10 million gallons from Sandy Creek and 4-5 million gallons from BCRUA.

Questions

For questions, please contact Public Works at 512-259-2640 during normal business hours from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. For water or wastewater emergencies after hours, call 512-528-2800.