Staunton residents, businesses under boil water advisory until further notice

The City of Staunton has set up water distribution sites with bottled and gallon water available. These will be open throughout the day. There will be a limit of one case of water or two gallon jugs per vehicle.

Water Distribution Sites:

• Staunton High School – 1301 N. Coalter St.
• Bessie Weller Elementary School – 600 Greenville Ave.
• Gypsy Hill Park Gymnasium – 116th Regimental Rd.

Current planned hours for all three sites:

• Friday: 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Saturday: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Sunday: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

If you are using tap water, residential and business customers should boil water before using it for drinking, cooking or brushing teeth.

 

Staunton residents and businesses are under a boil water advisory for approximately 48 hours due to an overnight water main break.

As a result, all Staunton City schools are closed on Friday. All planned athletic and extracurricular activities are also canceled.

Staunton Public Works was notified of the water main break behind Stocker Street last night. Utility crews found significant damage to a large, 16-inch water main. Water service had to be shut off to complete the repair.

Initial efforts to limit the outage to a small area were unsuccessful. The shut-off was expanded leading to low water pressure throughout much of the city.

Once the break is repaired, the utility department will slowly restore water flow and replenish the system. After the water is restored, testing and sampling will be completed before the advisory is lifted.

The boil water notice is specifically for water used for drinking, cooking or brushing teeth. The city recommends bringing water to a rapid boil for at least one minute and letting it cool before use.

Customers do not need to boil water for taking a shower, washing clothes or running the dishwasher.

Once water is restored, even if the pressure and water look normal, you should boil water until told otherwise by the city.

The city will establish drinking water distribution sites.

The city will provide updates on its website and Facebook page.