A boil water order is still in effect and may continue for the next two or three days after floodwaters breached the Public Water Supply District 2 water treatment plant in Eureka. The district, however, is in better shape than it was in the flood of 2015 since it has a new water supply that will help the district continue to provide customers with water.
Public Water Supply District 2 serves the Jefferson County portion of High Ridge and Fenton as well as a portion of Byrnes Mill.
Floodwaters in the Big River overwhelmed the water treatment plant between 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon (May 2), and crews were working this morning (May 3) to get the plant back up and running, District Manager Bob Snelson said.
By preparing in advance this year, the process has been much quicker than during the flooding in 2015, and the district should be able to continue to provide water to its customers, he said.
“We are still pumping water out. We still haven’t assessed everything, but it shouldn’t stop us from pumping water,” Snelson said.
When the water breached the plant, it shut down.
“We had to shut down and turn the power off so no one gets electrocuted,” Snelson said.
Water receded quickly, however, and crews were back in the plant about 6:30 a.m. Electricians checked out the wiring in the plant today, he said.
Filters need to be cleaned and sanitized, and water needs to be chlorinated and tested before the plant can go back online, Snelson said.
To prepare for the possibility of a breach this year, water managers took care to fill all four district water towers before the flood and a new well was added, Snelson said.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources approved the new well during the flood, but since it was new, the boil water order was issued, he said.
Snelson said boiling the water takes care of any issues with the water.
“Briskly boil water for three to five minutes. It will be safe to drink and to use for cooking. You can still take a bath (in water from the tap). It’s just like swimming in a lake. You can swim, just don’t swallow the water,” Snelson said.
District officials also are asking customers to conserve water, he said.
In the flood of December of 2015, the water treatment plant was down for five or six days after floodwaters breached the treatment plant. Water had to be brought in from other districts by truck to keep up the water pressure for the district’s 7,000 customers.
“The well is giving us that margin of getting back on,” Snelson said.
He said he expected the boil water order to remain in effect for the next three or four days.