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Boil notice lifted for city of Mart

Posted at 6:48 PM, Jul 27, 2017
and last updated 2018-07-24 21:30:58-04

The boil notice for the city of Mart has been lifted on August 1. 

The city of Mart was under stage four water restrictions. 

"We are asking people not to use water unless it's absolutely necessary to give our water operators a chance to catch up with production to meet demand," Mayor Pro-Tem Henry Witt III said.

He added the issue happened after a water line break and a power outage last week. This caused pumps to be out of service so the water could not get to storage tanks, which is where the water supplied to customers comes from.

"This couldn't have happened at a worst time. Water demand is up, water usage is up. It's the highest point of the year for water consumption. So we are asking people to do is don't water your laws, don't wash your cars. Don't do anything that is not absolutely necessary," Witt said.

Some residents experienced water outages earlier this week. Currently, some are still have low water pressure.

Mart resident Gerald Medlock said this is not the first time he has experienced issues with the water in Mart.

"Sometimes we have to boil water, sometimes the water pressure can be pretty low. Actually, the boil water part I can get around but I really hate when the water is low. I really hate that. It makes it hard to do things like wash dishes and take a shower," Medlock said.

He said now water is running normally but it was different earlier this week.

"The water will go to a trickle to very slow and then sometimes it will pick back up again. It has been going up and down. Lately, it has been steady, thank goodness," Medlock said.

The water pressure is expected to be back to normal by this weekend. When that happens, the city will send out water samples to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to see if the boil order notice can be lifted.

Some businesses, such as the Diner N More, have had unexpected costs since the notice went into effect. The owner tells News Channel 25 that she had to buy bottled water and ice this week.

On Wednesday, the city council approved $20,000 to spend on temporary solutions to help supply water to customers faster, including adding a third pump and adding a line to service 12 residences close to the State Juvenile Correctional Facility. Currently, he said those residences, which rely on the water system of the juvenile facility, experienced a 24-hour water outage from Sunday to Monday.

Next year, Witt said Mart will overhaul its water treatment facility next year with the help of a $5 million grant and a $12 million loan from the United States Department of Agriculture. The project is expected to double the capacity of the plant, add more pumps to the system and a backup power generator.

H-E-B gave away one case of water per household at Mart City Hall on Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. 

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