City-Wide Boil Water Notice Issued In Austin

AUSTIN, TX — A city-wide boil water notice has been issues in Austin, officials announced Wednesday night.

The notice was issued because of power loss at The Ulrich Water Treatment plant, which is Austin Water's largest water treatment facility, officials said.

"We worked with Austin Energy to quickly assess our system and restore power and are in the process of bringing Ullrich Water Treatment Plant back online," Austin Water said in a press release.

Water should be boiled before drinking or cooking with, officials said.

"To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes," Austin Water said. "The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes."

Once the notice expires, residents will be notified.

Earlier in the day, Austin Mayor Steve Adler called on residents to limit water use as consumption rose to levels two to three times higher than ever seen before. Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros said that over the past 36 hours, the city's water system has undergone significant changes due to dozens of water main breaks and thousands of pipes bursting in private residences across the area.

Although residents were once being encouraged to allow faucets to drip to keep pipes from freezing, Adler and Meszaros said that is no longer feasible due to the stresses on the city's water system.

Boil water guidelines can be found here.

More information can be found on Austin Water's website. Residents can report issues online.