UPDATED: The following boil water advisory was lifted Wednesday at 5:15 p.m.
A boil water advisory has been issued for hundreds of residents in the Landfall community and the Middle Sound Loop Road area of Wilmington, as crews with the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority continue to respond to three water main breaks that were reported this morning.
The advisory affects all addresses on the east side of Market Street between Gordon Road and El Ogden Road, all addresses on Military Cutoff Road between Cayman Street and Market Street, portions of Landfall north of Pembroke Jones Drive, and portions of the Middle Sound Loop Road area south of Pages Creek (see map below).
Those areas have experienced low water pressure since three water main breaks were reported Tuesday morning. Crews are currently responding to those breaks, two of which occurred along Military Cutoff near Covil Farm Road and at Paradise Way. The third break occurred in Middle Sound Loop Road area.
The advisory is being issued as a precaution because periods of low or no pressure increase the potential for the introduction of bacteria into the water system, according to a notice from the CFPUA.
Residents in the affected area should boil their water for one minute and allow it to cool prior to consumption, or utilize another water source such as bottled water. Consumption includes drinking, brushing teeth, making ice, preparing food, washing fruits and vegetables and preparing baby formula. Customers do not need to boil water prior to using it for showering or bathing.
The boil water advisory will remain in effect until water quality testing has occurred and service has returned to normal, typically within a 24-hour period. Residents can learn the latest updates to the advisory via the CFPUA’s advisory information line at 332-6500 and at www.cfpua.org.
Editor’s note: This is an update to a story first reported Tuesday morning. That original story follows below.
Crews with the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority are responding to two water main breaks along Military Cutoff Road and a third in the area of Middle Sound Loop Road.
As of 10 a.m. today, crews were on the scene of a repair that started Monday along Military Cutoff near Covil Farm Road. CFPUA spokesman Mike McGill said what was first thought to be a simple leak repair has been revealed to involve multiple water mains, both active and abandoned—a cluster of pipes McGill likened to spaghetti.
Calling that project “a significant repair,” McGill said crews would be working in that area all day today, requiring water for adjacent areas to be shut off.
Crews are also responding to a secondary break just north of that site, at the intersection of Military Cutoff and Paradise Way.
And a third break has occurred in the Middle Sound Loop Road area. McGill said that break is affecting a large area of customers, but he said crews have been able to bypass the break to restore water service until a repair can be made.
On Military Cutoff, McGill urges motorists to slow down and be mindful of workers on the roadway.
“People have got to slow down out there,” he said. “We’ve set up a safe zone, but all it takes is a person flinching for one second. Somebody’s going to get hurt out there.”
