Staff report

San Angelo Standard-Times

UPDATE:San Angelo water boil notice has been lifted

SAN ANGELO — A boil water advisory was issued by the city after a water main break caused an outage for a large swath of southwest San Angelo on Tuesday afternoon.

On Wednesday morning the city said the advisory remains in effect. It's not immediately known when the advisory will be lifted.

Water Utilities Assistant Director Lance Overstreet said the break occurred near South Jackson Street and Industrial Avenue behind Gandy Ink Screen Printing.

The boil water advisory was issued at the direction of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which oversees the safety of the state’s water systems, and all residents using city water are impacted.

Related:Water boil advisory enters Day 2; here's what we know

"Pressure is maintained in a typical water main," said Anthony Wilson, City of San Angelo public information officer. "Once that pressure is relieved, it allows contaminants to possibly seep into the water."

City water officials also are asking residents to reduce their water consumption to essential use only as crews work to repair the main break, restore service and rebuild pressure in the system.

This includes halting use of sprinkler systems for at least 72 hours as water tanks are refilled and pressure returns to normal, notes a news release from the city.

There is no timetable on when those repairs will be complete, the release states. Overstreet said they won't be able to start working on repairs for another day or two.

Related: Guidelines for restaurants during a boil water advisory

"We have isolated the leak and have rerouted the valves to restore system pressure," Overstreet said. "Because there is 2-4 feet of standing water, we will have to build a path into where the damage occurred."

The city said customers began reporting low-to-no pressure about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday and a significant water main break was discovered in an open area near Arroyo and South Jackson streets.

The city said it’s working diligently to resolve the issue but noted, “because of the extent of the break, rebuilding pressure in the system may well take hours. Water pressure in other areas of the city may also be affected.”

The water department said it’s unsure how many customers were impacted by the outage.

More:Do's and don'ts during a water boil advisory

Residents should boil city water before consumption, which includes washing hands, brushing teeth, drinking, cooking, etc.

To ensure destruction of harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking and ice making should be boiled and cooled before consumption, the Texas Commission on Environmental Protection notes.

The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes.

At least four restaurants were closed Tuesday afternoon due to the water break:

Lotus Cafe - 3524 Knickerbocker Road

Golden Chick - 3393 Knickerbocker Road

Wingstop - 3556 Knickerbocker Road

Dairy Queen - 3006 Knickerbocker Road

San Angelo ISD notified parents and students via social media that they are taking precautions on campuses because of the boil water notice and have shut off all water fountains district-wide.

The district will provide bottled water at athletic events and campuses, and encouraged students and staff to bring bottled water with them to school Wednesday.

"There are a few challenges, but we're working with campus leadership to make sure that bottled water is available for students at every campus, meals are not disrupted and plenty of hand sanitizer is available for students throughout the day (Wednesday)," said Derrick Jackson, communications director. "As with everything we do as a district, the safety of our students and staff is always the most important thing for us."