LIVE BLOG: Boil water notice may last 10-14 days, county says

Long lines for water at the Costco store at 4301 W. William Cannon Dr. in south Austin on Oct. 22, 2018. (Courtesy/Dave Pedley)

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Long lines for water at the Costco store at 4301 W. William Cannon Dr. in south Austin on Oct. 22, 2018. (Courtesy/Dave Pedley)

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AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the first time in its history, Austin Water issued a citywide boil water notice starting early Monday morning for Austin residents due to high levels of silt from floodwaters. 

Water used for drinking, cooking or ice should be boiled for three minutes until further notice, Austin Water said. Follow this story for updates.

Areas affected by boil water notice:

10:43 a.m. — Travis County prepares for boil water notice to last up to 2 weeks

Initial estimates are that the boil water situation could go on for 10-14 days as the water system tries to settle, said Eric Carter, the chief emergency management coordinator for Travis County.

Carter gave the estimate to the Travis County Commissioners Court Tuesday morning. Hector Nieto, a spokesperson for Travis County, said officials are making preparations for a boil water notice that lasts two weeks.

"We aren't necessarily at a water shortage," Carter said. "We just have a situation where we have to take an extra step to make sure our water is safe for us to drink."

Carter said around 880,000 users are affected by the boil water notice and noted people can still shower and still wash hands.

10:07 a.m. — Update from Williamson County

A Williamson County judge has issued a disaster declaration for the area because of "severe weather, flash flooding, and potable water outages."

The emergency operations center in the county has been activated and will stay that way until the boil water notice affecting those who get water from Austin Water is lifted. The county estimates 80,000 people in its boundaries are under the boil water notice, and 25 schools in Leander ISD and Round Rock ISD is affected.

The state of disaster is set to last seven days unless continued.

10:03 a.m. — Update from LCRA and Austin Fire Department

All floodgates at Buchanan Dam are closed, while floodgate operations are still going on at Inks, Wirtz, Starcke, Mansfield and Tom Miller dams. The Lower Colorado River Authority expects to close floodgates at Wirtz and Starcke later this week, and it doesn't believe it will have to open more floodgates on Mansfield Dam at this time.

The Highland Lakes are still closed to boaters at this time. Austin Fire Department also extended its waterways ban until Monday.

9:25 a.m. — Update from Travis County WCID 10

Just like the City of Austin, Travis County WCID 10 is urging people to conserve water. It receives its water from the city and is reporting Austin is trying to resolve a low-pressure issue.

"You are requested to immediately reduce your normal water use by 20%," it wrote, asking people to have shorter or fewer showers, and hold off on running the dishwasher or washer.

Mandatory stage 4 water restrictions are also in effect for Water District 10, which prohibits all outdoor watering:

7:45 a.m. — Update from AISD

Classes will resume as normal, but the Austin Independent School District is asking families to send students with water. Below are precautions the district took yesterday that will continue today, per its website:

6:43 a.m. — Morning update on the water situation

5:18 a.m. Tuesday — Water at grocery stores

The Hancock H-E-B reports it has water, and another trailer full of water should reach the store by 6 a.m. Another one is planned later in the day.

The Walmart on Ben White Boulevard is sold out of water but expecting another delivery. The Sunset Valley Walmart is sold out of water as well.

10:55 p.m. Monday — Update from the City of Austin

The City of Austin said in an evening press release, all residents are asked to reduce their personal consumption by 15-20 percent. They state that all outdoor water use in the city of Austin is prohibited.

According to the press release, violations of the water restrictions should be reported to Austin 311.

8:53 p.m. — Update from Austin Water PIO 

According to Austin Water, the city's water levels are reaching a critical stage, and if people keep using water at the rate they have been, the water supply could run out.

7:15 p.m. — Update from Eanes ISD

Eanes ISD said in an evening statement that it has the necessary resources to stay open with the boil water notice in place. If their situation changes later in the week, the district will send out an update.

4:49 p.m. — Update from AISD

Austin Independent School District says, as of now, school is still scheduled as normal for Tuesday. An update will be sent out if that changes, the district said.

Water was delivered to campuses and school staff supplied any student in need with water. Campuses also accepted donations of bottled water.

4:30 p.m. — CDC recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control has a list of recommendations when a boil water notice is in effect, including instructions for cooking food, disinfecting water and how long to boil water for (3 minutes).

Even if using a water filter, it is still important to boil. According to the CDC, most household water filters do not remove bacteria or viruses.

Read the full list of recommendations here.

1:45 p.m. — Red Cross warns about sanitizer

The Central Texas Red Cross warned those relying on hand sanitizer during the boil water notice that while it kills salmonella and e.coli, sanitizer will not kill cryptosporidiosis, a diarrheal disease caused by parasites.

The H-E-B grocery store at Slaughter Lane and Manchaca Road announces it is out of bottled water on Oct. 22, 2018. (KXAN Photo/Ed Zavala)

Copyright 2018 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The H-E-B grocery store at Slaughter Lane and Manchaca Road announces it is out of bottled water on Oct. 22, 2018. (KXAN Photo/Ed Zavala)

The Red Cross recommends vigorous hand washing with soap instead of hand sanitizer.

1:35 p.m. — Starbucks only selling packaged items

A Starbucks spokesperson says stores in the Austin-area will remain open but are no longer serving handcrafted beverages during the boil water notice. The stores will only sell bottled and packaged goods for now.

1:18 p.m. — AISD middle school sports canceled Monday

All Austin Independent School District middle school athletics have been canceled for Monday night due to the boil water situation. Other after-school activities will continue as scheduled, the district said.

AISD is urging parents to send their children to school with enough water for the day. Cafeteria operations have also been affected. Schools have closed their salad bars and are using canned fruit instead of fresh fruit. 

1:11 p.m. — Animal shelters in need of help

Austin Animal Shelter, Austin Pets Alive! and the Austin Humane Society say they have urgent requests for help in getting water to the animals in their care.

Visit this story for information on how to donate clean water, your time or make a monetary donation to offset the cost of buying water.

1:04 p.m. — Emergency water use restrictions issued

The city of Austin says there is an urgent need to reduce the demand on the city's water supply to allow treatment plant operations to stabilize.

Until further notice, all outdoor water use is prohibited.

Violations should be reported to Austin 3-1-1. The city says the emergency restrictions are necessary to ensure water is available for firefighting and basic needs. 

12:51 p.m. — Video: What we know about the boil water notice

The latest on Austin's boil water notice

11:58 a.m. — Water on the way to Randalls and H-E-B stores

Randalls Food Markets says it has called in all resources to get water to its stores in Austin as soon as possible. Trucks are on their way from the company's Fort Worth distribution center as well as from all vendor sources available.

H-E-B said it has more than 100 trailers of water heading to its Austin stores Monday. 

11:54 a.m. Monday — Delays to elective surgeries

St. David's HealthCare has decided to delay elective surgeries out of an abundance of caution until the network of hospitals can better understand the availability of additional water. St. David's also said they are looking at potential solutions for water use as part of patient care.

All hospital-based elective surgeries are expected to resume as normal Monday afternoon, while elective surgeries at St. David's surgery centers are expected to resume Tuesday.

"We are working with regional suppliers to provide additional water for our patients, staff and hospital operations, and we will continue to collaborate with local officials and national experts to ensure patient comfort and safety," said Dr. Kenneth W. Mitchell, the chief medical officer of St. David's HealthCare.

Seton Healthcare Family said hospital procedures and patient care continue with minimal disruption. Elective surgeries at Dell Children's are continuing on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of doctors.

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