Another Boil Notice Lifted for Crockett
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
CROCKETT – For the second time in two weeks, residents in the city of Crockett found themselves under yet another boil notice, again for only a couple of days, again due to so-called turbidity in the water caused by the changing temperatures churning the water used to supply the city.
The notice again warned citizens not only to let water boil for at least two minutes, but warned elderly, children or vulnerable residents to not use the water to wash their face or hands for fear of contamination from harmful bacteria.
The notice was released Wednesday, June 7 at approximately 11 a.m., with the rescinding order coming almost 48 hours later. In the meantime, residents were left to deal with the water issue and local businesses could not sell many products such as fountain drinks, with some of the local businesses focusing on drinks closing altogether. The Crockett Fire Department issued a warning online that this time they had no bottled water to give out to citizens as the week before.
The city busy this water from the Houston County Water Control and Improvement District #1 (HCWCID), which who issues these notices. The notice advised residents, “To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes. In lieu of boiling, individuals may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source for drinking water or human consumption purposes.”
Russell Bond, HCWCID General Manager said this is a seasonal problem made worse by other issues that were quickly fixed.
“We had the issue of turbidity and then we had an underground chemical line that was leaking,” Bond explained. “That reduced our feed to the problem of the turbidity, so that didn’t help. We that repaired now so that’s working right so once I get official word from the lab, we can lift the notice.”
Bond said it was a seasonal issue that does not strike every year.
“It doesn’t happen every year, it’s periodical and there’s really no way to anticipate when it might happen,” Bond said. “The temperature is the main thing – when you have a hot day and a cool night, that’s usually what happens.”
Some businesses and residents relied on filtration systems, although Bond said he couldn’t speak to whether that would be enough to kill the bacteria, saying it would depend on the system.
Bond wasn’t sure what to tell frustrated residents who shared their feelings online and with each other.
“I don’t know,” Bond answered. “I don’t know exactly what to tell them other than, it’s just something that’s happens. It’s unfortunate – we just have to deal with it when it does happen and hopefully everybody understands and has a little patience with us.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
