Update: Lynchburg lifts boil-water notice for some residents

UPDATE:

The City of Lynchburg has lifted its instructions to some residents to boil water for safety.

The following areas no longer need to boil water:

• 3400 block of Ivylink Place
• 4400 block of Gorman Drive
• 2000-2100 block of Woodcrest Drive
• 2200 block of Ridgewood Drive
• 200 block of Ivy Drive
• 4000-4100 block of Morningside Drive
• 1700 block of Link Road
• 1800 block of Clayton Avenue
• 3100 block (even addresses only) Rivermont Avenue
• Also, the addresses of 4015 and 4017 Summit Road., 1822 Mobile Road, 
  1867, 2600, 2601, 2533, and 2529 Link Road, 4500 and 4434 Boonsboro Road

The following areas are still under a boil water advisory:

• 200 to 500 blocks of Trents Ferry Road
• 707 Old Trents Ferry Rd
• 4700 block of Doyle Terrace
• 600 block of BonAir Circle
• 1900 block of Parkland Drive
• 700 block of Selene St
• 2001 and 1911 Link Rd
• Quarry Rd

Tim Mitchell, the city's Director of Water Resources, said he expects the remaining boil-water advisories to be lifted Thursday evening but officials are awaiting water quality tests.

EARLIER:

In his 11 years working for Lynchburg’s Department of Water Resources, Tim Mitchell never had to issue a boil water notice.

Now he’s issued two in less than a week.

“It’s been very hectic,” Mitchell, department director, said Tuesday as water crews scrambled for the fifth straight day to address breaches in the city system.

Some 200 homes in the Rivermont and Boonsboro areas still were under a boil water advisory Wednesday after an unusual rash of water main breaks erupted in their neighborhoods.

A spike in water pressure caused lines to start bursting at nine different points Monday and Tuesday. The Department of Water Resources called in extra maintenance crews and hired outside contractors to make repairs as quickly as possible.

By 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, all water main breaks were fixed, Mitchell said. Two minor leaks were still occurring on small secondary lines, but they also were repaired by Wednesday.

Officials suspect the string of busted water mains started Monday with an isolated break on Ivylink Place that may have flushed sediment into an underground pressure-reduction valve.

The valve clogged, preventing it from properly regulating the water line’s internal pressure. Pressure doubled as a result, Mitchell said, causing weak points in the system to give way.

“They were not just small breaks,” he said. “In some cases, parts of pipes blew open.”

Given how severe and widespread the breaches were, the city issued a boil water notice as a precaution Tuesday afternoon.

Notices were hand-delivered to residents, advising them not to drink or cook with tap water without boiling it first. Employees at the Kroger on Boonsboro Road reported seeing an influx of customers buying bottled water Tuesday. Demand tapered off by Wednesday, though.

Robbie Colagreco, who lives in the advisory zone, said he and his mother stocked up on bottled water and boiled a large pot of water.

“It really hasn’t been too bad,” he said, adding it doesn’t interfere with other activities like showering.

Still, Colagreco said, he hoped things would be back to normal soon.

Only homes that received notices are under the advisory. A list of affected addresses is available on the city’s website.

The city must pass two consecutive water quality tests before the advisory can be lifted. It will take at least 36 to 48 hours, Mitchell said.

This follows close on the heels of another boil water notice issued for the Wards Road area last weekend.

In that instance, a contractor working at Liberty University struck a 12-inch water line.

It is rare for such a large line to be ruptured that way. Utility lines are meant to be clearly marked and avoided by construction crews. The city said the State Corporation Commission, which regulates underground utilities, will be investigating.

“These have been very unusual circumstances,” Mitchell said. “It’s unusual for there to be two situations like this back-to-back.”

During a meeting Tuesday, City Council commended the Department of Water Resources for the long hours it’s put in to addressing these mishaps.

“I can’t imagine the amount of work they’re doing right now,” said Councilman Turner Perrow.

“One of the absolute core services this city provides is fresh, clean water,” he said. “But you don’t really notice it until it’s gone.”

Staff writer Chris Dumond contributed to this report.