Hillsboro officials at about 2:30 p.m. today, Jan. 5, lifted a boil water advisory that was first announced on Dec. 28.
Tim Adams, the Hillsboro public works supervisor, said he just received the state water testing results.
He said approximately 1,380 water system customers (businesses and residences) were able to use city water out of the tap for bathing, washing hands and washing clothes, but were advised to boil water before consuming it during the boil water advisory period.
Adams said the problem with the water system has been traced to a traffic accident in early December in which an unknown vehicle ran into and damaged a fire hydrant.
“It’s on Seventh Street,” he said. “I don’t know when it was hit. We think early December. We never knew who hit it. It started leaking on Dec. 28.
“After our crew started working on repairs (to the water line) and discovered the source of the leak, the city issued the boil water advisory that day. It covered the entire Hillsboro water system.”
He said that the water system leakage discovery occurred just before the New Year’s Day weekend and the holiday slowed the process of getting water samples tested.
“With the holiday and the weekend, (the length of time it took for testing) is not out of the ordinary,” Adams said.