City Reevaluating Water Plans
***UPDATE 9 P.M.***The boil water advisory for customers in the Missouri American Water Jefferson City service area has been lifted.According to officials, all water samples passed quality tests. It is no longer necessary for customers to boil their water before drinking or cooking.***ORIGINAL STORY***Jefferson City officials are awaiting test results for the city’s water after Tuesday’s water crisis.About 75 percent of the city remains under a boil advisory after a water pump broke Tuesday morning. That left residents scrambling to get bottled waters from stores and left city leaders reevaluating their response.On Wednesday, officials say it has been a lesson learned in the capital city for both city leaders and Missouri American Water officials.City leaders say they are working on a plan to make sure places like hospitals and nursing homes get potable water should the same crisis every happen again.”Getting a tank that can be used is the easy part,” said Public Works Director Roger Schwartze. “It’s how do you implement it into the system so others can use it.”The city trucked in water on Tuesday, but should the same situation happen again, officials would have to keep the water clean in the tank if it sat too long.Missouri American Water says it too is taking steps to make sure the city ever has to implement its new plans for the 100-year-old system.”We’ve been here for more than 100 years and this is a very unusual experience,” said Ann Dettmer of Missouri American Water. “In the next few years, I know we’re going to be focusing on the plant itself and replacing and renewing some of the infrastructure that’s very old.”Missouri American Water crews have been flushing hydrants across the city and are waiting for test results to come back from the Department of Natural Resources. The results should be available on Thursday. If they come back clean, the boil advisory will be lifted.Grocery stores in the city, including Schnucks, say they are continuing to receive shipments of water for the rest of the week.
