Nearly 48 hours after residents in southern Orange County were told their water was unsafe, things are effectively back to normal.

Orange Water and Sewer Authority announced on Sunday morning that all OWASA operations are back to normal and the utility’s water storage tanks are full.

That was welcome news after a tumultuous few days. Trouble began on Thursday when OWASA discovered an accidental overfeed led to a higher level of fluoride in the water at the Jones Ferry Road Water Treatment plant. Water was then brought in from the City of Durham while the OWASA plant was shut down for cleaning. Residents were only being asked to conserve water as of Friday morning.

And then a 12” water main broke in northeast Chapel Hill.

That led to what OWASA executive director Ed Kerwin described on Friday afternoon as a “worst case scenario.”

The water at the OWASA plant was unsafe and the water being brought in from Durham had suffered a major loss and interruption of service.

Do Not Use and Do Not Drink orders left residents searching for bottled water anywhere they could find it. Harris Teeter’s four locations in Chapel Hill and Carrboro gave out water for free on Friday night to those impacted. Water distribution sites were set up on Saturday.

And then good news came with the first round of testing results on Saturday afternoon. And residents were told they could use the water again but were still cautioned to conserve water where available.

But on Sunday morning, after an additional round of water testing was completed, OWASA announced all operations were back to normal with the OWASA plant once again providing standard levels of drinking water.

A boil water advisory for residents near Foxcroft Drive was also lifted on Sunday.

After being forced to close down by the Orange County Health Department on Friday, restaurants and hotels served by OWASA were allowed to reopen on Saturday afternoon, just ahead of Super Bowl Sunday.

OWASA officials say they are investigating the fluoride overfeed and water line break. The results of the investigations will be reported to the OWASA Board of Directors at an upcoming public meeting.

Related Stories
‹
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 […]
OWASA Resumes Fluoridating Drinking Water
Orange Water and Sewer Authority restarted the process of fluoridating drinking water for the service area across Chapel Hill and Carrboro on Monday. OWASA stopped fluoridating the water in February when a keystroke error from an operate caused a fluoride overfeed. A Do Not Use order was then issued for the approximately 80,000 residents who […]
Orange County Asks for Feedback from February Water Crisis Response
Orange County residents now have a chance to give feedback to the agencies that responded to the water crisis in the southern portion of the county earlier this year. The approximately 80,000 customers served by Orange Water and Sewer Authority were without water for more than 24 hours in February. The crisis began with an […]
More Than 150 Residents Complain of OWASA Water Taste, Odor
For the second time in two weeks, Orange Water and Sewer Authority has issued a statement reassuring residents in southern Orange County that the water is safe. The concern has come from the water’s “earthy” or “musty” odor and taste that has developed over the last month. OWASA officials say the issue is being caused by […]
›