UPDATE: The city of Bartlett has running water, but a boil order was still in effect Friday night.
Officials say the water pump on the secondary well has been replaced, but residents were still urged to boil their water after service was restored. The city will provide one case of drinking water for each family each day until the boil water notice is lifted.
The city of Bartlett has been without water for a few days after the main water pump and its backup pump failed.
Bell County Judge Burrows declared it a water emergency. The city developed an emergency plan with the Bell County Fire Marshal, Steve Casey.
The Bartlett and Holland Fire Departments delivered non-potable water intended for toilet flushing only but not for drinking or cooking. The fire departments will be delivering the water for residents at the Bartlett ISD football field parking lot between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. daily. They will also be delivering that non-potable water to those who are homebound.
They are also distributing one case of water for drinking to each family daily at the Ag building. Residents need to show their I.D. to show proof of residency.
Residents said water gets shut down fairly often, but usually just for a few hours to allow crews to fix it. They said three days without water has never happened before.
"It's not usually this severe, but we have lots of small outages because the pipes are all shot. And no one's been replacing them," said James Pease, a resident of Bartlett. Pease said he has lived in Bartlett since the 1980's and has never gone without water for more than just a few hours.
Peggy Pavelka has lived in Bartlett for 42 years. She said the last few days have made her appreciate water.
"The last few days have been rough. I haven't been able to bathe or brush my teeth hardly. It's been really rough," said Pavelka. "Water is essential. You really do believe in water whenever it goes out like it does. You trust in it. You've got to be really careful with how much you use."
McLane Company and Nestle donated 3,600 cases of water for residents in Bartlett. The Temple and Belton Walmarts are also donating water.
City officials said they expect to have repairs done and water back to residents by Saturday.
