As Pawtucket Water Supply Board teams respond to operational challenges related to the recent autumn rain events, representatives are asking customers to continue limiting any non-essential water use.
Heavy rainfall over the past weekend has resulted in elevated natural sediment in the water supply, they said Wednesday afternoon. This is due in large part to the amount of leaves that entered the water system intake, creating a high level of turbidity and complicating the water treatment process.
Pawtucket’s water system continues to meet all drinking water standards, they emphasize. Teams have been working around the clock to address the naturally occurring anomaly and maintain an adequate supply for customers.
“Pawtucket Water Supply Board is grateful to all who have voluntarily reduced their non-essential water use, allowing our teams to continue meeting demand,” states a release. “We remain in steady contact with the Rhode Island Department of Health and other community stakeholders. We appreciate your cooperation and will provide further updates as we work to mitigate this issue.”
Original news item:
CUMBERLAND/PAWTUCKET – The Cumberland Water Department is asking for all the residential and industrial water users to limit water consumption to only necessary usage due to the technical difficulties with the Pawtucket water treatment plant.
“We are asking our customers to be conservative due to the shortage this is causing,” said staff.
“We are attempting to connect the south side to the north side, which will result in a reverse flow of the water in the water main. This will cause a stirring of the sediment in the pipe and will most likely cause brown water,” they added.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any questions, please call the office during regular business hours 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.. If you are calling after hours, follow the menu directs for the emergency line and let it ring until someone picks up.”
The Pawtucket Water Supply Board asked that all customers limit non-essential water use until further notice while they work to resolve the operational issues caused by the excessive rainfall over the weekend.
“Please note that all water in the system meets all drinking water standards and poses no health concerns,” they said. “We thank you for your cooperation.”
