UPDATE: Chatham County has cancelled the boil advisory, confirming that no leak occurred. Here is the county’s full statement, released at 3:04 p.m. Thursday:

“Chatham County Water Utilities has announced that residents in sections of North Chatham no longer have to boil county water before using it for consumption.  The State Division of Water Quality has verified that the water supply meets state standards and does not have to be boiled.
 
“A boil water notice was issued yesterday due to an unexpected drop in water pressure affecting specific parts of north Chatham.  Utilities staff found no leaks or technical problems in the water system, but water pressure returned to normal levels.  This  points to the possibility that a private contractor doing utility work in the area may have impacted a water valve.”

Chatham County Public works director David Hughes says Wednesday’s advisory to residents in northern Chatham County was strickly precautionary and that he doesn’t believe there was every a break in the line.

“We don’t believe it was a break,” Huges says. “We suspect it was a contractor who closed some valves and shut off supply, so there was never a break in the line. Our tanks never dropped. We didn’t do anything particular, and the system regained pressure and went back to normal operating. So, the potential for contamination is very low. It’s possible but unlikely.”

Hughes says any time there is a drop in water pressure, water samples are taken to check for contaminants and safety measures are taken ensure no one consumes what is potentially hazardous.

While it takes just a few minutes more, he says the best course of action is to follow the safety instructions when they’re handed our—even when danger is not suspected and it’s just a precautionary step.

“They should boil the water for a minute to two minutes until we get the results back,” Hughes says.

In Orange County, Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) Board of Directors Chair, Alan Rimer says there are processes in place to protect from such an event.

“We have a number of storage tanks that contain several million gallons of water, and those tanks are managed by…a system of intercommunication between the treatment plant and these tanks,” Rimer says. “So, we can control the rate at which that water is put into the system at a pressure which would never allow for it to drop below a particular pressure level that would require a boil order.”

In fact, Rimer says it could be up to a day before the water system’s pressure drops below a safe level.

“We might ask folks to conserve, but certainly not to boil,” Rimer says.

Related Stories
‹
OWASA Receives 3 National Awards From Partnership for Safe Water
The Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) earned three awards from the Partnership for Safe Water in June: 10-Year Excellence in Water Treatment and the Five- and 10-Year Awards for Distribution System Operations in 2022. “OWASA is passionate about the partnership and the positive impacts it has had on operational performance,” read a release from […]
OWASA to Resume Standard Collection Practices on June 1
The Orange Water and Sewer Authority will resume its standard collection practices beginning June 1, the agency announced in a release Monday afternoon. The move aligns with Orange County ending its state of emergency order for the COVID-19 pandemic, with the declaration expiring on Sunday. OWASA had maintained a moratorium on service disconnections and collection […]
Public Meeting Scheduled Ahead of Underground Blasting for Rogers Road Sewer Project
A public meeting is set for Tuesday after officials from Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Orange County and Orange Water and Sewer Authority have decided to move forward with “low-intensity underground blasting” to remove rock as part of the Rogers Road Area Sewer Project. After decades of promises to extend the sewer lines to the historically black […]
Consultant Reviewing OWASA Response to Water Main Break
Orange Water and Sewer Authority officials are working to find out what happened earlier this week to cause a major water main break. The issue occurred early Monday morning and disrupted water availability across southern Orange County through Tuesday afternoon. “With so much water being lost, it made it impossible to safely access the valves […]
OWASA Lifts Boil Water Adivsory
OWASA officials said just before 4:30 p.m. that the boil water advisory for the area had been lifted. There are 75 customers who have been directly contacted, according to the utility, who will have to continue under a boil water advisory, but the rest of the service area is working at a normal capacity.**** […]
Some Improvements at OWASA Water Main Break, But UNC to Remain Closed Tuesday
OWASA officials said just after 7:30 p.m. Monday that the leak had been stopped and that water storage was approaching normal levels. Officials are continuing to urge residents to use water wisely. Toilets can be flushed. Customers are asked to take short showers.**** Orange Water and Sewer Authority reported seeing some improvements Monday evening […]
Hillsborough Supplying Water to Customers Impacted by OWASA Outage
Hillsborough has begun supplying water to the southern portion of the county serviced by Orange Water and Sewer Authority. OWASA suffered a significant water main break early Monday morning. The utility then asked customers to limit water use to essential purposes and then issued a boil water advisory. Chapel Hill – Carrboro City Schools and […]
Orange County Preparing for Election Day Amid OWASA Complications
Orange County elections officials say the county will be ready to go for Election Day regardless of issues caused by a water main break at the Orange Water and Sewer Authority facility in Carrboro. The water main break has caused closures across southern Orange County, including Chapel Hill – Carrboro City Schools and UNC – […]
OWASA: Tap Water Safe if Hurricane Florence Causes Power Outage
Residents across central North Carolina have been searching for bottled water and other provisions ahead of the expected arrival of Hurricane Florence later this week. Orange Water and Sewer Authority said on Tuesday evening that tap water will remain safe to drink, even if the power is knocked out during the storm. OWASA is the […]
Crews Working to Repair Water Line Break in Carrboro
Crews with Orange Water and Sewer Authority are on the site of a water line break in Carrboro Tuesday. Officials from Carrboro Police say the break was reported shortly after eight o’clock Tuesday morning near the intersection of West Main Street and West Poplar Avenue. Authorities are asking motorists to avoid the area, if possible, […]
›