Officials with the Greer Commission of Public Works (CPW) and Blue Ridge Rural Water Company both lifted their precautionary boil water advisory this evening.
Blue Ridge Rural Water canceled its notice of the boil water advisory for its customers effective 6 p.m. CPW followed two hours later.
Test results confirm that water in the system is safe to drink and can be used as normal, CPW announced Tuesday evening.
Customers who wish to flush old water out of their internal plumbing may do so at this time. Flushing the system will draw new water into the home. See instructions below.
The advisory was issued Monday morning due to extreme low pressure, caused by a significant main break, in much of CPW’s water system. The leak was found, isolated, and temporarily repaired Monday, according to CPW’s announcement.
CPW and Blue Ridge Rural Water Company are investigating permanent repair options.
“Things have been going well,” Chuck Reynolds, Finance Manager and overseer of the repairs and water testing, mandated by DHEC. “We flushed all the water from the hydrants yesterday and got the air out. All of them were shut off until we completed the process to make sure no contamination was in the water.”
Blue Ridge purchases its water from Greer and had access to Greenville water to help it lift the boiling water advisory earlier.
Greer CPW serves most of western Greer and treats all water to its customers at the Lake Cunningham processing facility.
Monday’s main break at the Lake Cunningham water plant caused schools and both Greer hospitals to use its emergency plans. Greer Memorial rescheduled some surgeries at Greenville General Hospital.
Greer fire departments effected by low water pressure were back to normal about 2 p.m. Monday, CPW officials said.
Greer and Blue Ridge schools held classes Tuesday with water fountains shut down and water brought in for the students. Portable toilets continued to be used Tuesday.
Crews continued to work on building a retaining wall at the treatment plant and putting dirt back into the area where more than two million gallons washed it away Monday.
A storm producing 2-3 inches of rain is forecast for the greater Greer area beginning Wednesday through early Thursday. CPW officials do not expect the storm to affect repairs made.
Flushing internal plumbing
Customers who wish to flush old water out of their internal plumbing may do so now. Flushing the system will draw new water into the home.
To flush lines, customers can run their faucets for approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Customers should begin flushing by running the faucet farthest from their water meter or nearby hydrant.
The farthest faucet is often an outdoor spigot on the back of a home. Running water in bathtubs is also a good way to achieve the appropriate volume of water to flush plumbing. Customers may also run their hot water to clear out their hot water tank.
"We greatly appreciate our customers' patience while we ensured the safety and quality of their water,” said Jeff Tuttle, CPW’s General Manager.