MARTINSVILLE, Va. – UPDATE
The boil water notice issued in Martinsville last Friday has been lifted, according to city officials.
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This comes after Martinsville residents were advised to use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking and cooking purposes as a safety precaution.
Additional sampling collected on June 22 and 23 showed that all of the water distribution samples were free of bacteria, indicating that community members no longer need to boil all of their drinking/cooking water.
ORIGINAL STORY
Martinsville residents are under a boil water notice amid a city-wide water outage caused by a waterline break that is impacting all residents and businesses.
According to city officials, crews have been dispatched and are actively investigating the cause of the interruption to restore water services as quickly as possible.
“We understand the inconvenience this causes and are working diligently to resolve the issue. Our teams are dedicated to identifying the problem and restoring water service quickly,” the city said.
At this time, Martinsville residents are advised to use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking and cooking purposes as a safety precaution.
Bring all tap water to a rolling boil, let it boil for one minute, then cool before using, or use bottled water.
If you can’t boil your water, Martinsville officials have provided the following alternative:
- An alternative method of purification for residents that do not have gas or electricity available is to use liquid household bleach to disinfect water. The bleach product should be recently purchased, free of additives and scents, and should contain a hypochlorite solution of at least 5.25%. Public health officials recommend adding 8 drops of bleach (about ¼ teaspoon) to each gallon of water. The water should be stirred and allowed to stand for at least 30 minutes before use.
- Water purification tablets may also be used by following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Residents are advised to conserve water at this time, and should report any leaks or irregularities.
City officials said they anticipate the issue will be solved later Friday.
We’ll continue to update this story as we learn more.