Watonga suffered a citywide water outage beginning Thursday evening when a water main on Eagle Lane was damaged.
The damaged pipe resulted in the water being shut down across town, and work to repair the break was completed late Friday. After that, water pressure had to be built up in the pipes.
Meanwhile, the city offered residents bottled drinking water at the Armory and that offer is extended until there are two clean water tests completed.
Non-drinkable water was available Friday only, to be used for flushing toilets and bathing. That offer was rescinded Saturday.
The city has issued a voluntary boil order for its patrons until those clean water tests are received. Boiling water will kill any potential contaminants or water borne illnesses. Water should be brought to a full rolling boil for at least a minute before it is used for drinking, cooking, washing dishes or brushing teeth. Bottled water can also be used for these applications.
Residents are also advised to flush their pipes by running cold water for at least a few minutes, and hot water until the water heater has emptied. A bathtub is a good source for this as its large tap will allow large particles and debris to evacuate the system faster. Run washers and dishwashers for two empty cycles and look for discoloration in water. Reddish discharge can be remedied by running cold water to flush the iron sediments that cause the discoloration.
Interim city manager Karrie Beth Little said the first water test results arrived Tuesday afternoon and were clean. The second test result is anticipated before the end of the week.
Two clean tests are required by the Department of Environmental Quality to lift the boil order.