Austin Water Update: Restoration Could Take Several Days

AUSTIN, TX — All of Austin Water's treatment plants are once again generating water and filling the city's reservoir, a hopeful first step in restoring water service to the city, the utility provider said Friday morning.

Overnight, the city's three treatment plants produced some 86 million gallons of water, according to the utility provider. The plants typically produce 140 million gallons of water each day during the winter.

One of the city's plants went down on Wednesday amid a power outage, leading to a loss of water pressure and causing the reservoir to become dangerously low. Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros said once the reservoir is refilled, various water mains will be reopened as infrastructure is tested and repaired, he said.

As water is restored to customers throughout the day and over the weekend, conservation remains a priority.

"We encourage customers to continue to conserve water," Meszaros said. "If you have water service, please use it wisely and in a moderate way. If water returns, please don't go overboard and start using too much water. The water you use is water that another customer may not have."

Related: Austin Weather Latest: Some Power Restored, Reservoirs Refilling

Austin Water said it had dispatched numerous crews to repair broken water mains and assist customers who had to turn their water service off due to burst pipes. Crews on Friday were also working to fix a leak in a major water transmission line.

Austin Water is also working to ensure area hospitals have clean and reliable water.

"A top priority is to get hospitals back in service," Austin Water said on Twitter. "We restored water service to three major hospitals yesterday and are working with state officials to expedite the testing and approval process so hospitals can safely use the water without the need to boil it."

The city's boil water notice — issued Wednesday after a low water pressure issue at Ullrich Water Treatment Plant — remained in effect as of Friday morning.

Residents are asked to boil any tap water they plan to drink, cook or make ice with. According to the advisory, water should be kept at a vigorous rolling boil for two minutes before drinking.

According to the city's water outage map, an estimated 18 leaks were repaired between Thursday and Friday mornings. The map shows another 12 leaks are pending inspection.

Another 40 reported leaks had not been repaired as of 8:30 a.m. on Friday, according to the map.

As service is restored, it is likely residents will notice more leaks both in their homes and in water mains and pipes in their area.

Austin Water customers who notice significant leaks as their service is restored in their homes and neighborhoods are asked to first check the outage map to see if the leak has been reported. If it has not been reported, residents should immediately call (512) 972-1000 to report the outage.

For smaller leaks including trickling pipes, puddles and water flowing in streets, residents are asked to complete and submit a leak report form to Austin Water.

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Austin Water said residents are responsible for the repair of in-home plumbing issues and service line issues past the water meter.

On Thursday, the utility provider said on social media that it did not know when it would be able to provide water to the entire city.

In a string of social media posts, Austin Water said it is facing "significant challenges" in restoring water service.

"We know that some customers do not have water service and returning your service is our priority," one social media post read. "Austin Water will provide additional updates as they become available."

Austin Water did not immediately respond to a request for more information.

In a Friday tweet, Austin water said it expects repairs to be "a multi-day long process."

Related: Water Main Breaks In Downtown Austin: Police