The boil water notice for the City of Three Rivers is expected to remain in place through the upcoming weekend.

That’s the latest update from Jim Rozeboom, Director of Public Services, regarding the situation surrounding the city’s water system following a drop in water pressure that prompted issuance of the boil water notice on Monday (December 22nd).

During an interview early Friday afternoon (December 26th), Rozeboom said, “We started chlorinating the water on Wednesday afternoon and we’ll be taking a set of samples today.  We’ve got them started and we’ll be taking a set tomorrow which should come out later on Sunday and, so, Monday is when we’re hoping to lift the boil water notice.”

Hope was expressed initially that the boil water notice would be lifted on Wednesday.  Later, the expectation was shifted to Friday.  Rozeboom said, “It’s taking us a little longer than we hoped for.”

According to Rozeboom, three out of the four samples taken on Tuesday were negative.  He said that, “The way the test is running – I’ve done a lot of them – in looking at them, it looks more like a sampling error, which is very easy to do.  It’s quite a sterile procedure you’ve got to go through to make sure that no coliform bacteria from the air or anywhere contaminate the sample because they’ll show up as a positive then.”

Until the boil water notice is lifted, city residents are advised NOT to drink the water without boiling it first.  Water should be brought to a boil, boiled for one minute, and let cool before using – or use bottled water.  Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice.  Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.

The boil water notice was issued after pressure in the city’s water supply dropped because of a frozen control line off the line on the city’s elevated water tank.