Boil water notice lifted for Florence area

Feb 21, 2021

Water boil notice lifted for Florence area

The City of Georgetown has lifted the boil water notice for 720 affected customers in the Florence area. This is the last boil water notice that was issued as a result of low pressure due to the prolonged subfreezing temperatures and from power outages due to the recent winter storm. As a result, no Georgetown water service areas have to boil water prior to consumption.

Water service has been restored to all City of Georgetown customers affected by the storm; however, the system is still recovering, so the Phase 3 essential use restriction remains in place for all customers through 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24. Customers should limit water use to essential domestic purposes such as drinking and cooking.

The water distributed by this public water system used for drinking water or human consumption purposes has undergone laboratory tests and results provided to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that indicates the water no longer requires boiling prior to use as of Feb. 22, 2021.

Customers might experience sedimentation and/or discoloration resulting from the loss of pressure in the water system. To remove sedimentation and/or discoloration, people should flush household pipes, ice makers, water fountains, etc., prior to using it for drinking or cooking. Flushing simply means letting the water run to ensure no sedimentation and/or discoloration remains in your pipes. Here are some steps people should take:

Run all cold-water faucets in your home until air and discolored water stop.
To flush automatic ice makers, make and discard three batches of ice.
Run water softeners through a regeneration cycle

Please check the outage map for the latest information.

As the water system works to refill the water towers, it does take time for the system to fully respond, and continued fluctuations in water pressure are to be expected.

Due to the prolonged subfreezing temperatures and power outages during the winter storm, treatment and distribution facilities struggled to maintain the water pressure required by law, and many customers lost water pressure or water service.

City crews worked around the clock to address the issues caused by the winter storm, including repairing lift and pump stations, as well as burst water mains.

The City lifted the following boil water notices on Sunday, Feb. 21:

The Westinghouse area bound by IH-35 to FM1460 (about 1,700 customers)
Liberty Hill (1,300 customers)

The City lifted the following boil water notices on Saturday, Feb. 20:

Leander Road/FM2243 area, from Southwest Bypass to Garey Park and the Parkside Parkway area, from FM 2243 to Sam Bass Road (1,300 customers)
Wood Road/Hwy. 29 area, bound by I-35, D.B. Wood Road, Hwy. 29, and Williams Drive. The includes the area of Booty’s Crossing Road, Serenada Neighborhood, portions of Berry Creek Neighborhood, and Wolf Ranch Northfork and Southfork (3,600 customers)
Areas west of Georgetown, including Santa Rita, Northlake, and Andice (about 11,000 customers)

Water restrictions in place as water system recovers

The City of Georgetown is enacting Stage 3 of the Drought Contingency Plan for all its customers effective 5 p.m. Feb. 21, 2021. Georgetown water customers must severely restrict all use of potable water through 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24, when a safe and adequate water supply for public use is expected to be restored. Find out more at https://bit.ly/2ZBwG8j.

Updates will be posted to georgetown.org.

Boil water FAQs

Is the water safe for brushing teeth, washing hands or bathing?

During a boil water notice, you can use tap water and soap to wash hands. Be sure to scrub your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and rinse well under running water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

While you can use tap water for bathing and showering, be careful not to swallow any water. Use caution when bathing babies and young children. Consider giving them a sponge bath to reduce the chance of them swallowing water.

Brush teeth with previously boiled or bottled water. Do not use untreated tap water.

How do I prepare food and baby formula?

Use boiled or bottled water only for drinking, cooking, making ice, washing fruits and vegetables, brushing teeth, making baby formula, bathing and cleaning.

Breast feed your baby or use ready-made formula. If you must use water to make formula, use bottled water. If you don’t have bottled water, use water that has been rapidly boiled for at least two (2) minutes.

What about my pets?

You should follow the same boiling water procedures for your pet as you would for yourself.

Is the water safe for washing dishes and laundry?

The water is safe for washing dishes, but you should use hot, soapy water (you may add one tablespoon of bleach per gallon as a precaution) and rinse dishes in boiled water. Household dishwashers generally are safe to use if the water reaches a final rinse temperature of at least 150 degrees Fahrenheit (65.55°Celsius), or if the dishwater has a sanitizing cycle.
However, until the Georgetown’s water service is restored, please continue to conserve water, using only what is absolutely necessary.