Livingston issued a state of emergency Wednesday morning to ensure adequate resources are available for fire protection.
Mayor Lori Elder-Burnett said the declaration allows the city to activate all necessary actions to cover the region during the water shortage. A water main break Tuesday caused the issue. She said the primary goal is ensuring the fire department has the resources needed to deploy in the event of an emergency.
“When our water system goes down and we get shortages in some areas, then we want to activate everything that we can to make sure that in the event of a fire that we are covered,” Elder-Burnett said.
A boil water advisory remains in effect as a precautionary measure while crews work to test the supply. Elder-Burnett said the state advises this step when water tanks reach certain levels to ensure safety before the notice is released.
“It is advised that prior to boiling the water to strain it through a clean cloth to remove any sediment or floating material,” Elder-Burnett said. “Then it should be heated to a vigorous boil.”
Residents should maintain a rolling boil for at least one minute to ensure disinfection. Elder-Burnett also warned residents currently without water to turn off their water heaters to prevent equipment damage.
“With this cold as it’s been, the pipes can often times rupture,” Elder-Burnett said. “There’s probably some things that will continue to occur that we are out looking for right now just to try to stop any further leakage.”
While the main water lines have been repaired, the cold weather has created unpredictable conditions within the system. Elder-Burnett said the North Overton Utility District is currently out of water, along with reports of outages on the outskirts of the service area.
“We will release that boil notice as soon as possible,” Elder-Burnett said.
Officials are working to resolve the issue and will keep the public updated on the status of the advisory.