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 #30384  by Mr.Skellington
 
http://cbs3.com/local/Wilmington.Delawa ... 92822.html
Water Division has issued a cautionary message to thousands of City water customers, residential and business, who live outside the City boundaries in the northwestern section of New Castle County. These customers are served by the City of Wilmington water system.

A water main break along Barley Mill Road, which is now repaired, could produce some water quality issues today for customers. A special telephone message, using the City's emergency notification system, was sent into the homes of these customers last night at approximately 10:30 p.m.

Customers are urged to boil their water before they use it today.

Under the City's "precautionary boil water notice system," residents are advised to boil all water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth or washing dishes until testing being conducted today can be completed to confirm the safety of the water. A rolling boil of one minute is sufficient. As an alternative, bottled water may be used.

The geographic area for which this special boiling water precaution is suggested extends northwest along Kennett Pike beginning at North Dupont Road and ending at Methodist County House. The northern side of the area is generally bounded by Route 100 while the southern boundary is Barley Mill Road.

Wilmington Water Customers served by the Kennett Pike Pressure Zone, where the water main break problem occurred, reside generally in these areas, or portions of these areas:
• West Farm
• Monchanin Village
• Hillside Farms
• Barley Woods
• Valmy
• Fairthorne
• Greenville Place Apartments
• Ponds of Greenville
• Greenville Shopping Center
• Montchanin
• Hagley Museum
• Centennial Circle
• Montchan
• Applecross
• Squirrel Run
• Westover Hills

The City will send out a new telephone message to all affected homes and businesses Sunday afternoon informing residents of the results of the testing for water quality. In all likelihood, the "boil water notice" will be lifted by tomorrow.
FYI.
 #30391  by stephpd
 
Jason wrote:My wife was talking about that when I got home this morning..

Really sucks. that's allot of people.
Considering the amount of folks we supply water to it's only a small fraction (about 10,000 of 144,000 total). At work it's referred to the Kennett Pike Pumping Station. We were unable to keep water pressure up, with the broken main, and had hundreds of calls from those effected. After the first few calls the operator that has to deal with all the irate customers is just having to take an earful. By shifts end he was just happy to get out and go home.

It's not that the water we made was bad, but with the broken pipe the chances of getting contaminated water back into the system rises significantly. But broken pipes are something that does happen during the winter (almost every year). Biggest thing is that it happened to those that make good money. Not to many poor folks out that way.
 #30395  by stephpd
 
Jason wrote:You work at AWC?
No I work for the City of Wilmington, Public Works, Water Division, Brandywine Filter Plant. The city does provide for water well outside the city limits. For that area it's up to the water tower in Greenville. We also supply water up to Talleyville, Foulk & Silverside Road, Hillcrest and out to the Boxwood plant as well as Rosehill and the port. About half of out customers are outside the city limits.

The plant I work at provide water for the low service part of the system. That's from Cool Springs (I-95) and east. The Porter Filter Plant (@ I-95 and Rt 202, back by Rock Manor Golf course) provides service for the high service part of the system. But then I've worked there too, on occasion. (recently just last month)

There is also an operator at the Bradywine Pumping Station, just a couple buildings up the street from me.(I'm at 16th st and Walnut St.) The operator at this pumping station has to field all the complaint calls for those that get water from the city. I lack the phone and people skills to have to deal with hundreds, if not thousands of calls, that can come in during a shift. The guy that did that yesterday almost ran out of the building at shift change.

I don't think Artesian provides service except for south of the city. Past Talleyville and all other parts of north of the City it's United Water. The systems are all connected and it's possible for one company to get water from the other companies. When I first started here we were selling ~ 4 MGD to Artesian through the cross connect at Rosehill (Rt 9 and I-295)