Boil advisory remains in effect until Thursday

Published 10:06 am Wednesday, July 22, 2009

IRONTON — The city of Ironton remains under a boil advisory until Thursday morning following an electrical failure that shut down the city’s entire water network late Tuesday night.

City officials said the electrical failure closed Clear Well No. 2 and was a result of a circuit breaker being shut off. Why the breaker was turned off is still under investigation, Mayor Rich Blankenship said.

Blankenship said construction crews working on the city’s new water storage tank might have been responsible for the mishap.

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City workers were forced to manually opening the well to refill the water tank and water pressure was restored throughout much of the city by midnight.

No water lines were damaged as a result of pressure being returned, the mayor said.

Under boil water advisories, city residents are recommended to boil water vigorously for several minutes when water is being used for consumption or use to kill off bacteria and viral contamination.

City officials say there is no indication of contamination. However, loss of pressure within the city’s water lines could lead to potential harmful materials in contact with water supply plumbing being lead to customers.