Many Huntsville residents are still without water; authorities issue boil alert

HUNTSVILLE — People in Huntsville were still without drinking water Sunday as town officials continued to search for a severe leak and residents stocked up on water from fire hydrants or loading jugs at a church.

Huntsville city administrators posted on Facebook Sunday afternoon to say that the water is not back up yet, but if any residents are getting water from the city's system, the town leaders are urging residents to boil the water before using it.

"Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for (three) minutes, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice," the Facebook post says.

The leak caused a decrease of pressure in the system, according to the city. This may have led to water from outside the city's system getting into the city water. This malfunction "carries with it a potential that fecal contamination or other disease-causing organisms could enter the distribution system," the post says.

Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water," the post continues.

Huntsville previously posted on Facebook on Saturday to say that crews have eliminated several "potential sources" of the leak, and "the team is optimistic regarding the progress to be made in the next few days."

Residents like Marc Raleigh and Marl McKay told KSL-TV that they do not have water in their homes, with McKay saying he was "really worried."

According to Huntsville Mayor Richard Sorensen, a massive leak was first detected last Monday and has depleted nearly all the town's drinkable water.

On Friday night, Huntsville leaders shut off drinking water throughout the town as they searched for the leak somewhere in a 4,000-foot pipe underground between the Huntsville purification plant and the town water storage tank.

The mayor said everything they've tried so far, from drones to thermal imaging, hasn't worked.

The water shutoff forced a Huntsville hotel and a restaurant to close until the water leak was found and fixed. Several people visiting the town looking to eat had to turn back after hearing the news.

Residents who are forced to fill up water from places generous enough to share are hoping the town will fix the problem soon.

Huntsville officials, meanwhile, said they hope to have some nonpotable water tanks available on Sunday so residents can flush their toilets. Several churches also have open doors for residents to use the bathroom or fill up water tanks from about 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Bottled water will also be available in front of the Huntsville Town Hall from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Sorensen later said the city had found a "temporary solution" to provide some untreated water for flushing toilets by diverting water from the city's spring through a firehose.

"It will take some time for it to fill up the pipe completely and then work its way to Huntsville and pressurize that pipe," the mayor said in a video posted to Facebook Sunday evening. "So, the good news is we will have some temporary water. There will be times throughout the next few days while we still try to find and fix this leak where we may have to shut that off to allow more water pressure and more flow."

He said the city is still under a boil order and directed residents to the drinking water sites for the time being.

Sorensen said the best way to stay up to date is to sign up for the emails on the town website.

Contributing: Bridger Beal-Cvetko

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