Dear editor,
In the May 20-22 edition of the Crestview News Bulletin, two customers expressed concern over lack of notification from Auburn Water.
One writer referenced brown water in the area of Stacy Lane. This had no connection to a water main repair performed on Friday, May 15 on Garden City Road. The repair on Garden City Road was preformed as a result of a lightning strike that cracked the main line.
Those affected by the water line repair (seven customers) were notified in writing by door hangers that they were being placed under a boil water notice until clearance samples could be processed. No other customers were affected.
If a fire hydrant is opened too quickly during flow testing, it can cause a water hammer that breaks free the normal rust that occurs in a metal fire hydrant. This can cause the water to temporarily turn brown and may require flushing to get the rust out. We are happy to provide this service at no charge whenever we are notified.
We have no way of knowing if a customer has a problem with their water service unless they notify us. We will respond the same day if we are made aware of the problem.
The presence of brownish water due to the rust being stirred up in chlorinated water does not carry with it bacteria or viruses.
Both writers expressed concern over a lack of automated calls. When a small number of customers are affected by a water outage and subsequent boil water notice, we have found the door hangers are more effective in assuring the affected customers are properly notified.
We do have the capability of a customer phone call out when customers have provided us with current phone numbers, but use it only when it affects a number of customers that make the door hangers impractical.
To make it clearer for customers who visit our Facebook or website page, we will list either specific addresses that are affected or specific geographical locations of a starting point and ending point where a boil water notice has been issued. This will be in addition to the use of the door hangers.
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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LETTER: Auburn Water: Phone calls, door hangers used for different occasions