ANSON COUNTY — After several days of repairs, testing and recovery efforts, Anson County Government officials have lifted the county-wide Boil Water Advisory for customers served directly by the county’s water system.
The county, in coordination with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), announced the advisory was lifted after repairs to the water system, restoration of water pressure, extensive flushing operations and multiple rounds of water quality testing. According to the county’s press release, laboratory results confirmed the water meets all applicable state drinking water requirements.
The advisory applies to customers served directly by the Anson County Water system in the county’s incorporated areas. The county also supplies treated water to municipal systems serving Ansonville, Lilesville, McFarlan, Morven, Peachland, Polton and Wadesboro. However, each municipality manages its own water distribution system and is responsible for issuing or lifting any local boil water advisories. Residents served by those systems should continue following guidance from their municipalities.
“Restoring water service was only the first part of the process; ensuring that water was safe for our residents was the priority,” said Nick Addison, Assistant County Manager & Planning Director, in a press release. “Our teams and partners worked continuously to repair, stabilize, flush, and test the system so we could confidently lift the Boil Water Advisory once water quality requirements were met. This response required an extraordinary level of coordination, and I am grateful for the commitment shown by our utility crews, county employees, local governments, partner agencies, contractors, and residents. The patience and cooperation of our community played an important role in allowing us to safely complete this recovery effort.”
According to the county’s press release, more than 40 agencies, organizations and private-sector partners assisted with response and recovery efforts following the water system failure. Those efforts included emergency bottled water distribution, technical support, water system repairs, laboratory testing, traffic control, emergency management coordination and direct assistance to affected residents.
Neighboring Richmond County provided assistance during the emergency, according to County Manager Bryan Land.
“I wanted to let everyone know that we have extended a helping hand from our Public Works crew to assist them in their time of need,” said Land. “Hats off to Jerry [Austin] and Bryan [Leggett] and their teams. I think we had some guys over there this weekend, and I believe we had two more helping them out today [July 14]. Even though we’ve got a streamlined skeleton crew in our water maintenance staff, we are trying to help our neighbors in a time of need.”
County officials said more than 300 pallets of bottled water were distributed to residents across Anson County during the response.
“The past several days have tested our community, but they have also shown what makes Anson County special,” said Jamie Caudle, Chairman of the Anson County Board of Commissioners in a press release. “I want to thank our residents for their patience and their willingness to work together during this difficult time. I am especially grateful to our utility crews, county employees, volunteer fire departments, state partners, local governments, and businesses who answered the call and worked tirelessly to help our neighbors. Your dedication and commitment to this community did not go unnoticed.”
“The response to this incident began within hours of the initial system failure and continued until safe drinking water was restored to our community,” said Rodney Diggs, Emergency Services Chief in a press release. “Through the support of our emergency management partners, state agencies, local governments, volunteer fire departments, non-profit partners, and private-sector organizations, we were able to bring an extraordinary amount of resources to Anson County. Their commitment and coordination were critical to helping our community recover.”
Although the advisory has been lifted, county officials said residents may continue to notice a chlorine taste or odor in their water because of the disinfection process used during system restoration. According to the press release, this is expected and remains within safe drinking water standards.
The county said it will continue normal operations while completing an after-action review of the incident. According to the press release, the review will evaluate the county’s response, identify lessons learned and determine ways to strengthen future emergency response and pubic communication efforts.
The county announced a water line break on social media on Saturday, July 18, causing outages on Bill Curlee Road, Ross Wright Road and Peachland-Polkton Road. Officials warned the possibility of low pressure on Newton Moore Road while repairs were underway. The line was repaired later that afternoon.
At the time of writing, the county said hydrant flushing is still in progress. Residents may continue to experience low water pressure while crews flush the system to distribute chlorine throughout the water system and release trapped air.