Alvarado city manager Clint Davis loads a 24-pack of bottled water into a resident's car Wednesday morning in front of a vacant building on the town square. Alvarado Fire Chief Richard Van Winkle looks on. The building was used to store bottled water for distribution to residents after a Monday night water main break that drained the city's water storage tower, a situation that, according to state guidelines, requires all water used for drinking or cooking to be boiled. Davis issued a bulletin Thursday saying the water was OK. (Paul Gnadt)
Alvarado residents should boil water used for drinking or cooking, city manager Clint Davis said.
“Hopefully, test results will show that we're OK and can resume using our water on Friday morning,” Davis said.

Alvarado's water delivery system is back up to full pressure following a Monday evening break in a 12-inch water main that drained the city's water storage tank, however water samples must be tested and that takes about 24 hours, Davis said.
The samples were sent Wednesday morning to an independent laboratory, Davis said.

“We have to have the ‘all clear' from those lab results before we can tell our residents not to boil the water,” Davis said.

The break occurred
Alvarado city manager Clint Davis is interviewed Wednesday morning by Fox 4 News reporter Saul Garza about the order for all residents to boil drinking and cooking water until further notice. Davis and city firefighters distributing bottled water at the town square. The situation should be resolved by Friday, Davis said. (Paul Gnadt)
in a water line in an agricultural area near the intersection of Cummings and U.S. Highway 67.
Public works personnel closed valves, isolated the damaged area and repaired the break, but when the valves were reopened, one of the valves malfunctioned, releasing pressure on the 12-inch line and draining the water tower, Davis said.
There were also several other leaks at the same time, Davis said.

“There is no contamination,” Davis said. “But, state guidelines require that anytime there is a drop in water pressure, the boil order must be issued.”
The ground storage tank is on its way to  being refilled, Davis said.

Alvarado Fire Chief Richard Van Winkle praised Johnson County
Advertisement
Emergency Management Coordinator Jack Snow for assistance in providing the initial supply of bottled water that was distributed Monday night.

“Jack Snow brought his command vehicle, obtained the first load of six pallets of bottled water donated by the Salvation Army and showed us how to establish a distribution point for the water,” Van Winkle said.

The city purchased additional pallets from Walmart who, “gave us a good deal,” Davis said.

The situation validates the City Council's recent decision to issue $5 million in certificates of obligation to build two water storage tanks and another well.

Van Winkle was able to find some humor in the situation when a friend who lives in Cedar Hill called and asked about the problem.
“If the hurricane is in New Orleans, why are they distributing water in Alvarado,” the friend asked.