Community Water System has issued a precautionary boil order effective Friday afternoon until further notice for all cities who receive water from its Greers Ferry Lake location.
According to a press release from Community Water, the boil order was issued because of an upset with the lake that caused elevated turbidity, or cloudiness, to pass into the distribution system for a short period of time. The release states no contaminated water has been detected and the chlorine residual has remained stable.
The residents in Faulkner County and surrounding areas who should observe the boil order are those who receive water from the Guy, Wooster, Greenbrier, Beaverfork, Damascus and Quitman water departments.
An official from Community Water said hopefully the boil order will be lifted early next week.
Becky Osborne of the Beaverfork Water Department said she was told by the health department the boil order is in effect until the local water departments receive word that water samples come back clean. She said she is constantly monitoring the local water.
"I don't know what a typical time frame for this would be because this has never happened before," Osborne said.
Because the boil order is a new concept for many local residents, Osborne said everyone affected should remember to boil all water used for human consumption.
"They need to boil it for at least one minute before drinking it or using it for food processing," Osborne said. "They don't need to boil it to take a bath or to clean, it's just done as a precautionary measure."
The press release also stated all ice cubes made with local water since Thursday afternoon should be discarded and only boiled water should be used for making more ice. In addition to or in lieu of boiling water, residents may also want to utilize bottled water from a reputable source.
Although the Vilonia and Mayflower water departments also receive water from the Community Water System, there is no boil order issued as both cities switched to Conway Corp. water out of Brewer Lake shortly after being alerted of the situation.
Randy Holland, mayor of Mayflower, said Friday there was a temporary boil order for those who receive Mayflower water, but it was quickly transferred to Conway and the water is now safe for consumption.
Holland added he heard the upset at Greers Ferry Lake may have had something to do with the water level after the flooding from recent storms and the amount of trash in the lake.
"I'm just thankful for the generosity of Conway Corp. in helping the residents of Mayflower," Holland said.
Bret Carroll, chief financial officer for Conway Corp., said Friday afternoon the water coming out of Brewer Lake was perfectly fine and there are no expected boil orders for customers at this time.
For more information concerning the boil order, contact Community Water System by calling 825-7294 or (800) 234-2971 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. If after hours or on weekends, please leave a message and phone number on the after-hours answering system and you will be contacted.
(Staff writer Jessica Bauer can be reached by e-mail at jessica.bauer@thecabin.net or by phone at 505-1236. To comment on this and other stories in the Log Cabin, log on to www.thecabin.net. Send us your news at www.thecabin.net/submit)
