LEWISTON, Idaho — The city of Lewiston is one step closer to lifting a boil order for a large chunk of the town following a reservoir failure.
More than a week after it ruptured, what's left in this water reservoir is being pumped out.
The next phase in repairing Lewiston's ruptured reservoir is going down the drain. Water left in the underground tank was pumped into storm drains Wednesday.
However, this is good news.
Dustin Johnson, the Public Works Director for the City of Lewiston, said this was a "major step in the right direction today."
Johnson shared they have now isolated the reservoir from the rest of the water system.
"Once we can demonstrate to the department of environmental quality, any other regulatory authorities that we are safe, we can meet fire flows, we can lift the boil order," Johnson said.
That could happen as soon as this weekend, Johnson estimates if the water samples come back clean like they have been the last week.
"Yep at the moment just kind of play by ear." Johnson said.
The residents of Lewiston are still relying on bottled water, boiled water or pumped water.
Adam Snell who lives in Lewiston said the experience is less than ideal.
"It sucks. It really does, but it's all good. We're making it but boiling water sucks," Snell said.
Once the top priority of lifting the boil order is complete, the city's next task is figuring out how bad the reservoir damage is.
"If it's salvageable. If it's not we're going to be looking at alternative sources of water storage, which there was 4.5 million gallons in that reservoir," Johnson said.
He shared it's all a process. "I say we crawl then we walk then run. We're still in the crawling stages."
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