WYTHEVILLE, Va. – Wythe County officials say workers have repaired a watermain break on E. Lee Hwy (US Route 11) and are in the process of filling up the 200,000 gallon water tank located atop Fox Mountain.

Customers who were without water today should expect some pressurization in their lines later this evening, however, local officials warn residents that the initial flow of water may be murky and contain air pockets.

Through the night and into tomorrow morning, the system should pressurize and return to normal water-pressure levels.

As a precautionary measure, the county has issued a “BOIL YOUR TAP WATER” notice to all residents who lost water service today, in an effort to reduce the risks of consuming bacteria or other organisms in the water.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE OFFICIAL BOIL WATER ADVISORY

The Virginia Department of Health offered the following advice for residents who will be boiling their tap water:

“Bring all tap water to a rolling boil, let it boil for one (1) minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Use caution boiling water; let water cool before attempting to move container to avoid spills, scalds and burns. Boil amounts of water that you can safely handle.”

The precautionary boil notice will remain in effect for 48-hours, which will allow the lines time to flush out any impurities which may have entered the system.

The waterline rupture was discovered Sunday evening and left water customers without service from Exit 80 to 86.

County residents are encouraged to check the locality’s official Facebook page (Facebook.com/WytheCo) for updates. Customers with additional questions may contact the Wythe County Water Department at 276-223-4501.

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WYTHEVILLE, Va. – Sunday afternoon, a ruptured waterline near the entrance to Speedco on E. Lee Hwy. (US Route 11) in Fort Chiswell was reported.

The waterline rupture was concealed by heavy snow and was not discovered until the 200,000 gallon water tank located atop Fox Mountain had completely drained, leaving customers without service from Exit 80 to 86.

County crews are on the scene, making repairs to the lines, but caution that they fully expect for work to continue throughout the day and that a precautionary boil water notice will be in effect for 24-48 hours following restoration of service.

According to the county’s engineer, all efforts are being made to have the lines operational as fast as possible, but the weather has created some delays in the repair process.

The service outage will only affect county residents connected to the E. Lee Highway waterline. All other waterlines in the county are fully operational.

Earlier today, Wythe County sent out a mass notification to affected customers, via the county’s citizen notification system, alerting residents of the problem in their area.

County residents are encouraged to check the locality’s official Facebook page (Facebook.com/WytheCo) for updates. Customers with additional questions may contact the Wythe County Water Department at 276-223-4501.

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WYTHEVILLE, Va. – Wythe County officials are reporting that a main waterline located on E. Lee Hwy (US Route 11) ruptured over the weekend and has subsequently drained the Fox Mountain water tank.

The ruptured line has left customers without water from Exit 80 to 86.

County water officials say workers are on the scene and are in the process of repairing the lines, but caution that the work will continue into Monday.

“We’re working to get the lines operational as fast as we can,” stated Bill Vaughan, Wythe County Engineer, “but the snow and low temperatures will create delays in the repair process.”

The service outage will only affect county residents along the E. Lee Highway waterline. All other waterlines in the county are fully operational.

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