The request for voluntary water conservation measures for Fayetteville Public Works Commission water customers has been lifted as operation at PWC water treatment facilities has returned to normal operations following Hurricane Matthew.
On Sunday, October 9, Fayetteville Mayor Nat Robertson declared a Stage IV Water Shortage Crisis in accordance with the City's Water Shortage Response Ordinance and implemented Mandatory water conservation, limiting use of water to only essential use. The declaration was in response to the need rebuild acceptable pressure levels within the PWC system. Robertson rescinded Mandatory water conservation measures to Stage I voluntary conservation, on Wednesday, October 12 as conditions improved in the water system and at the water treatment plants.
The boil water advisory for Fayetteville PWC water customers has been lifted as tests have now confirmed water meets safe drinking water standards. Water is safe to use for any purpose and it is no longer necessary to boil water before using it. Fayetteville Mayor Nat Robertson has also rescinded Stage IV Mandatory water conservation measures to Stage I voluntary conservation, effective 6 pm Wednesday.
Following the loss of pressure in the PWC Water distribution system on Saturday, October 8, 2016, PWC issued the Boil Water Advisory as a precaution while testing to determine if any contamination had occurred in the system after a loss of pressure system occurred.
On Sunday, October 9, Fayetteville Mayor Nat Robertson declared a Stage IV Water Shortage Crisis in accordance with the City's Water Shortage Response Ordinance and implemented Mandatory water conservation, limiting use of water to only essential use. The declaration was in response to the need rebuild acceptable pressure levels within the PWC system.
Once pressure levels were restored to acceptable levels, PWC tested 14 locations throughout the system on Tuesday. Those test results confirmed Wednesday afternoon that no contamination was present. Water pressure levels continue to improve and voluntary conservation is requested as PWC continues to restore PWC Treatment plants and the water distribution system to normal operations.
With the advisory being lifted, PWC customers should flush the water lines in their home or business for a few minutes before using it for consumption. This is especially important for locations that have not been occupied or that have had low water usage during the advisory period. Any ice made since the advisory was issued on Saturday evening should be discarded. Businesses that serve or prepare food for human consumption should coordinate with their regulatory oversight agency to make sure all requirements are met.
Voluntary water conservation includes limiting outdoor water use for landscape irrigation; washing of automobiles, trucks, trailers, boats, airplanes, or any other type of mobile equipment; washing of outside areas such as streets, driveways, service station aprons, parking lots, office buildings, exteriors of existing or newly constructed homes or apartments, sidewalks; filling pools, ponds or ornamental fountains and use of water from public or private fire hydrants for purposes other than fire suppression, public emergency, or PWC need.
10:30am 10/12/16: WATER UPDATE – We want to remind everyone that we are still under a boil water advisory and mandatory conservation. We're hearing rumors that some folks are saying it's been lifted, but this is not the case yet for PWC water customers. We will provide an update as soon as it is available.
All customers should now have some type of water service. If you don't, please call Customer Service at 483-1382. If you can't get through right away, please try again. Mandatory conservation and boil water advisory are still in effect.
Update: 6:50am 10/9/16 – PWC is working to restore water services. A water shortage emergency has been declared and customers are requested to limit their water use to only essential use. Once services are restored, customers are advised to boil water until we can confirm contamination did not occur in the system. This is a precautionary measure and testing will take 48 to 72 hours. It does not impact Fort Bragg; however it does now impact Spring Lake.
Health and public protection purposes, if specifically approved by health officials and the PWC including flushing of water lines and hydrants.
Water customers of the Fayetteville Public Works Commission in Cumberland County are experiencing periods of low pressure and outages in the distribution system due to power loss at PWC's water treatment facilities and potential water main breaks due to roads being washed out. Periods of low or no pressure in the distribution system increases the potential for introduction of bacteria into the water system.
Therefore, as a precaution until further testing can confirm the absence of bacteria, you are advised to boil all water used for human consumption. Bring the water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using. Vigorous boiling for one minute should kill any disease-causing organisms that may be present in the water. As an alternative, you may use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and food preparation until further notice.
PWC urges water customers to conserve water whenever possible in the event of additional outages. This system pressure advisory remains in effect until further notification is issued.
Water facilities are operating with the use of emergency generators. Once water pressure is restored, PWC will test the distribution system to verify there is no contamination. Upon state approval, we will inform you when tests show no bacteria and the system pressure advisory is lifted.
Please share this information with all other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or email.