From Staff Reports

It's a water line break that so far wants to stay broke.

City of Mineral Wells Utilities Supervisor Kelly Jones said attempts to repair a busted main water transmission line on U.S. Highway 180 East, causing loss of water supply to hundreds of residential and business customers, continued Wednesday afternoon and would likely continue well into the evening.

He said it has proven to be one of the toughest repairs he has dealt with.

“This is one of those we have had to think the most on,” he said.

The 16-inch polyethylene supply pipe broke Tuesday morning. Jones said several times crews thought they had the line repaired, but when the water was turned back on and pressure restored, the mend did not hold. Repair crews have remained on the scene around the clock since the break was first reported around 2 a.m. Tuesday.

Jones said they were going to weld and secure the line Wednesday evening with a bolted coupling that he said should hold under the pressure and the gravitational pull that is causing most of the problems. A secondary line leak developed several hundred yards east of the main break.

The break is in the 3800 block of U.S. Highway 180 East, and water continued to be out for homes and businesses in far eastern and northeastern Mineral Wells as of Wednesday evening. Additionally, some 440 metered customers of the North Rural Water Supply Corporation in western Parker County, serving the Cool/ Garner/Millsap areas, are also without water.

A boil water notice is in place for the affected water customers. When service is restored in these areas, people will need to boil any tap water used for drinking or cooking. Purchasing bottled water is also an option. The water will be OK for normal bathing and cleaning, officials said.

Notification fliers were distributed Tuesday evening within the affected service areas in Mineral Wells, including N.E. 40th Avenue, N.E. 39th Avenue, Country Club Estates and Laurie Drive.

A representative of North Rural WSC said because their customers are scattered over a wide area, individual notifications were not distributed, but said those customers will also need to boil tap water used for consumption until the order is lifted.

Boiling water will be necessary because once the line is repaired and water service restored, re-pressurizing the line will stir and kick up sediments that could contain bacteria capable of causing serious illness.

Jones said he expects the boil water requirement will remain in place for at least a couple of days after service is restored.

“Even if it's on Saturday, we will pay extra to get water samples to the lab for testing so that we can rescind the order as quickly as possible,” he said.

Water customers outside the affected service disruption – essentially south of U.S. 180 and west of Farm-to-Market Road 1821 – are not part of the water boil alert.It's a water line break that so far wants to stay broke.

City of Mineral Wells Utilities Supervisor Kelly Jones said attempts to repair a busted main water transmission line on U.S. Highway 180 East, causing loss of water supply to hundreds of residential and business customers, continued Wednesday afternoon and would likely continue well into the evening.

He said it has proven to be one of the toughest repairs he has dealt with.

“This is one of those we have had to think the most on,” he said.

The 16-inch polyethylene supply pipe broke Tuesday morning. Jones said several times crews thought they had the line repaired, but when the water was turned back on and pressure restored, the mend did not hold. Repair crews have remained on the scene around the clock since the break was first reported around 2 a.m. Tuesday.

Jones said they were going to weld and secure the line Wednesday evening with a bolted coupling that he said should hold under the pressure and the gravitational pull that is causing most of the problems.

The break is in the 3800 block of U.S. Highway 180 East, and water continued to be out for homes and businesses in far eastern and northeastern Mineral Wells as of Wednesday evening. Additionally, some 440 metered customers of the North Rural Water Supply Corporation in western Parker County, serving the Cool/ Garner/Millsap areas, are also without water.

A boil water notice is in place for the affected water customers. When service is restored in these areas, people will need to boil any tap water used for drinking or cooking. Purchasing bottled water is also an option. The water will be OK for normal bathing and cleaning, officials said.

Notification fliers were distributed Tuesday evening within the affected service areas in Mineral Wells, including N.E. 40th Avenue, N.E. 39th Avenue, Country Club Estates and Laurie Drive.

A representative of North Rural WSC said because their customers are scattered over a wide area, individual notifications were not distributed, but said those customers will also need to boil tap water used for consumption until the order is lifted.

Boiling water will be necessary because once the line is repaired and water service restored, re-pressurizing the line will stir and kick up sediments that could contain bacteria capable of causing serious illness.

Jones said he expects the boil water requirement will remain in place for at least a couple of days after service is restored.

“Even if it's on Saturday, we will pay extra to get water samples to the lab for testing so that we can rescind the order as quickly as possible,” he said.

Water customers outside the affected service disruption – essentially south of U.S. 180 and west of Farm-to-Market Road 1821 – are not part of the water boil alert.