The Star Press

MUNCIE, Ind. — A boil order announced early Tuesday morning for the city of Muncie was lifted by 8:30 p.m. Tuesday after tests found water to be safe for consumption.

Valves that were opened too wide, allowing too much water to rush through a treatment plant system, resulted in the boil order, closing some restaurants and prompting schools and other institutions to implement emergency steps to provide drinking water.

The city of Muncie and some of the surrounding area had been placed on the boil order because of the valve mishap at Indiana American Water Company's plant along Burlington Drive.

Delaware County Emergency Management announced in an email Tuesday night that testing sites in and around Muncie had been tested throughout the day, and " All indications have been that the water is safe for consumers to use and return to all normal water usage." Indiana American Water Company phoned customers with an automated "all clear" announcement shortly after that.

The water company issued an alert shortly after midnight Tuesday morning noting that "during routine maintenance, issues with valves opening beyond their normal range resulted in an increased turbidity level beyond the permitted limit for less than one hour in the Muncie system." The turbidity level was below the Environmental Protection Agency level, Indiana American said.

In initial social media postings, Delaware County 911 attributed the problem to a water main break along Burlington Drive, where the water company office is located.

But Indiana American Water spokesman Joe Loughmiller told The Star Press early Tuesday, and again later in the morning, that the alert and boil order were because valves at the company's water plant "were opened too far."

"This had to do with doing maintenance," Loughmiller said. "It had nothing to do with a main break. This order was not the result of a break."

Loughmiller said valves in the filtering system at the plant were opened too wide around 3 p.m. Monday. Water company executives assessed the situation and consulted with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management before issuing the "Code Red" alert and boil order.

The water that moved too quickly through the system was from White River and the company's groundwater wells at its Burlington Drive plant. Loughmiller said that while the water was filtered, it still was "clouded," a sign of suspended solids in the water.

People throughout the area received automated calls at about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, warning them against drinking tap water and urging them to either drink bottled water or boil water for approximately three minutes. Tap water can be used for washing and bathing, the company said.

A map on Indiana American Water's website indicated the affected area reaches beyond city limits. Loughmiller said as many as 30,000 customers were affected.

Officials had expected the boil order to be lifted by 10 p.m. or earlier Tuesday, Loughmiller said, depending on how quickly water test results came back.

About the 12:30 a.m. Tuesday automated call, Loughmiller said he was aware it might have alarmed some who heard their phone ring so late.

"We really look at our normal hours for Code Red calls, which is 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. But in a case like this, we felt like we should go on and get it out."

Several Muncie restaurants, faced with no usable water, decided to close. Among those announcing their closing on Tuesday were the Caffeinery, Savages Ale House and Sitara.

Food establishments that remained open were taking precautions.

Thr3e Wisemen, for example, emptied out and sterilized its ice bins, which will remain out of use until the boil advisory is lifted. The restaurant also stopped serving carbonated soft drinks, which contain tap water. Dish washing machines, however, remained in use because of their very hot temperatures and sanitizers.

A sign on the front door of a Village Pantry read, "No fountain pop or coffee."

Delaware County Health Administrator Jammie Bane told The Star Press:

"The only advice I’d offer to the public would be to feel free to question an establishment on whether they are aware of the order and whether they have taken the proper precautions including boiling water and using ice produced from either boiled water or ice produced outside of the boil water order. Boil water orders are nothing new. The scale of this one is just geographically larger based on the location where the problem occurred. There is no indication of a direct health threat, just the slightest of possibilities of one due to an occurrence that fell outside of the water company’s standard procedures. As I understand it, the disinfectant levels never fell below the standard, and the water company took all the proper steps following the occurrence in order to notify the public and to remedy the problem in the shortest time frame possible."

Muncie Community Schools was in session Tuesday. Water fountains were to be blocked in all buildings and water bottles were to be provided to students, according to corporation spokesperson Ana Pichardo. Liberty-Perry, Delaware Community and Burris/Indiana Academy schools are the only others affected by the boil order, and all were in session Tuesday, according to school officials.

The campus at the Youth Opportunity Center along Kilgore Ave. also had to block water fountains and water use in their kitchens. Water bottles and other safe potable water sources were provided to students and staff according to Jeff Helm, Director of Information Technology and Facilities for the campus. So far, 1,160 bottles of water have been delivered to campus, and additional distilled water for kitchen use.

IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital has put in place contingency plans so that its patients and employees will not be impacted. Neil Gifford, director of marketing and communication, said that the hospital has placed signs on public water fountains, has made bottled water available to patients and team members and is taking necessary precautions during food preparations and other day-to-day operations.

Elm Street Brewing Co. offered to assist those in need of water today at their business on 519 N Elm St.

"The city of Muncie has been great for us as we are getting ready to open, so we want to be a good neighbor," said co-owner Eric Jones.

The full original alert from Indiana American Water was as follows:

"Muncie Boil Water Advisory This is an important message from Indiana American Water. Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard. Although this is not an emergency, we are issuing a boil water advisory as a precautionary measure through at least 10 p.m., Tuesday, November 15, 2016 while samples are being collected and analyzed. Customers in the affected area are advised to drink and cook with tap water only after boiling it for approximately three minutes. Tap water can be used for washing/bathing. As our customers, you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we are doing to correct this situation. We are required to monitor your drinking water for specific contaminants on a regular basis. The results of regular monitoring are an indicator of whether or not our drinking water meets EPA's health standards. Our November 14, 2016 results showed the combined filter effluent turbidity exceeded 1 NTU. If you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor. Turbidity has no health effects. However, turbidity can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Turbidity may indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches. The treatment issue leading to the turbidity violation occurred during routine maintenance after valves opened beyond their normal range, resulting in an increased turbidity level beyond the permitted limit for less than one hour. During this time, the chloramine disinfection residual remained within its normal range and never dropped below 2 parts per million in the water leaving the treatment plant and at a representative site within the distribution system where it is continuously monitored. The problem has already been corrected and Indiana American Water is in the process of collecting and analyzing samples to ensure the safety of your drinking water. Any additional information regarding this boil advisory will be shared with residents through local media outlets, the company's Facebook page and through the company’s CodeRed phone notification service. Please share this information with all other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). Customers can also call the Indiana American Water Customer Service Center at 1-800-492-8373 for the latest updates."