Editor’s note: On Tuesday, Sept. 17, a water main break forced the Clarkesville Water Department to issue a system-wide “Boil Water Advisory” for all of its water customers. Restaurants were forced to close, the Habersham County School System had to provide bottled water for its students at Clarkesville Elementary and North Habersham Middle School, and homeowners who heeded the advisory boiled water for nearly two days. It was a costly inconvenience for businesses but a necessary precaution for public health. Many have criticized the frequency of water service interruptions in Clarkesville. Today, Clarkesville Mayor Barrie Aycock released the following statement about the city’s water situation:
What Happened?
On Tuesday, September 17th at 12:00 p.m. a water leak was reported by the Clarkesville water plant. A 10” main was found to have ruptured on the end of Gabrels Drive in front of the Cameron Apartments. The leak was significant enough that the water plant had to temporarily shut down while the leak was isolated. Water service for the majority of the city was restored by 1:00 p.m. Our crews had the line repaired and service restored to Cameron Apartments and Gabrels at approximately 6:00 p.m. By 7:30 p.m. Gabrels Drive was reopened and work was complete. After repairs are made, system wide flushing is required to purge air and allow disinfectants to act before samples can be collected and delivered to the lab. Once samples are delivered to the lab it is a minimum 24 hour period before results can be returned. Samples were collected and delivered once chlorine levels were back within the required range. Samples were then taken from all over the system and were delivered to the nearest state certified lab in Cleveland, Georgia.
Due to the nature and size of the leak, a boil water advisory had to be put in place for all of Clarkesville. It is known that water outages were reported throughout the system and there is no way to accurately delineate whose pressure dropped below the required 20psi and whose did not. When water pressure drops below this level there is the possibility for contaminants to enter into our water system. The Federal Regulations regarding water treatment stipulate strict guidelines that we must follow as a water provider when these occurrences happen to ensure that no one is exposed to possible health risks.
What is the City’s responsibility when things like this happen?
The City’s responsibility is to make sure that all of those affected are aware of the situation and understand what to do in these instances to ensure they aren’t putting themselves or their customers at risk. As soon as the city became aware of the situation calls were made to the Georgia EPD, the Nixle warning system, as well as local media outlets. City staff also made calls to several of the businesses that may possibly have been affected. The County Health Department was contacted ,and restaurants were instructed on the required procedures.
We would like to encourage all of our small business and restaurant owners to contact the local health department regarding their Emergency Action Plan (EAP). With the proper documentation in place many businesses may avoid closures all together. For more information contact:
Renita Stroupe – Manager Habersham County Health Department – 706-776-7659 ext. 257
All citizens should also sign up for Nixle alerts that advise you by text message when an emergency occurs and keeps you informed of the status. Go to the www.clarkesvillega.comand click on the link at the bottom of the page.
We urge all of you to show your support for those restaurants that had to close by making a special effort to visit them and tip the staff that are especially vulnerable to lost revenue when they can’t work. Our downtown is fortunate to have so many great choices and places to dine. We want them all to know how much they are appreciated by the City of Clarkesville.
We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate everyone’s patience. If you have any further questions please call me, Mayor Barrie Aycock at: 706-768-0840 or Joe Deputy, Project Manager and City Hall Admin at: 706-754-4216.
