From the Woodstock Aqueduct – DO NOT DRINK WATER NOTICE
From the Woodstock Aqueduct Company
Do not drink water from the Woodstock Aqueduct System until further notice. Boiling water will not make it safe to consume.
You CAN use the water to flush, bathe, wash hands and clean items that will not be used for the consumption of food or drink.
You CANNOT use the water to drink, cook, wash dishes or other items that may go into a persons mouth such as a retainer or baby toys.
The Woodstock Aqueduct Company is working with the State of Vermont to fix the problem and anticipates it may be resolved by Tuesday or Wednesday following the installation of a new pipe. The Town of Woodstock will list any updates on the Town of Woodstock homepage, on the Woodstock Facebook page and Woodstock listserv.
On July 10th, area flooding caused the catastrophic break of the river crossing from the Sewer Plant field to the Billings Farm field. The catastrophic break led to a drop in system pressure, leaving nearly all connections without water and leading to the issuance of a Boil Water Notice. On July 11th, the break was isolated from the rest of the system.
On July 12th, it was discovered that the Elm Street Bridge river crossing was also broken. This was interfering with the system repressurizing. A temporary solution of a firehose connecting two hydrants on either side of the Elm Street Bridge was used to help restore water and pressure to the system. This is the same solution that was used following Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, when the Elm Street Bridge river crossing last broke.
On the afternoon of July 14th, the Woodstock Aqueduct Company was informed that the system would need to be put on a Do Not Drink Notice due to the possibility of contaminants in the firehoses used. The Aqueduct is reaching out to all available resources to emergently replace the two river crossings so that the Do Not Drink Notice can be lifted as soon as possible. The severe impacts of the Do Not Drink Notice makes emergency assistance available from FEMA and other State and Federal agencies and programs. Our current plan indicates the Do Not Drink Notice may be lifted as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday, following the installation of an approved pipe.
For more information from the water system, please contact: Woodstock Aqueduct Company at [email protected] or [email protected].
Steven Bauer
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