City staff continue to investigate what caused a rupture to occur at one of its seven reservoirs Wednesday morning, and have brought in specialized engineering experts to assess the incident.
Based on what has been uncovered in the preliminary investigation, the reservoir rupture was an isolated event that was not related to any improvements that have been underway to the overall water system in the City of Lewiston.
“Nothing was identified in previous planning documents or inspection reports that indicated a cause for concern at this facility,” City of Lewiston Public Works Director Dustin Johnson said. “It is important to identify the root cause of the incident in order to move forward, and staff have been working diligently to do so.”
Staff are also working with property owners who experienced damage due to the water that was released after the rupture, and the Boil Water Alert Order remains in effect.
“Our primary focus right now is to get the boil water order lifted,”Johnson said. “We are working with our engineers and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to achieve this in a safe manner for all of our customers, as life and safety remains our top priority.”
A water filling has been established, located at the Lewiston Community Center, 1424 Main Street, Lewiston, Idaho, for City of Lewiston water customers that may be in need of clean drinking water. Residents will need to bring their own water containers to the water filling station. The station will be open until 8:00 p.m., today. Hours of operation for tomorrow are TBD.
If you have property damage due to the water that was released from the reservoir, please call 208-984-7096.
More information will be released as it becomes available.