The City of Lewiston Public Works Department has lifted the Boil Water Alert Order for portions of the community.
The attached map highlights three separate sections of the community. The section in red shows the area that should continue following the boil water alert order; the section in green shows the area that has been lifted; the section in blue shows the Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District area, which is not affected.
Since a rupture occurred, there is a hole in the reservoir, exposing the water it holds to the atmosphere, so a boil water order is required to be instituted by state law.
The purpose of the boil water order is precautionary. City staff have isolated portions of the system and all water samples have come back clean. Therefore, the Department of Environmental Quality has given the City of Lewiston the green light to lift the boil water order for the customers that are no longer served by that reservoir.
The Lewiston City Council declared an emergency at a Special Meeting on Thursday and unanimously voted to authorize city personnel to spend up to $200,000 to purchase materials and services necessary to repair or replace water system infrastructure without needing to follow formal bidding procedures.
“Essentially this expedites the process, if needed, to ensure staff can respond quickly to this emergency,” Public Works Director Dustin Johnson said. “This work is being done to help isolate the reservoir from the remainder of the city’s system.”
