Boil water notice lifted for portions of western Carmel

CARMEL, Ind. — A boil water notice has been lifted two days after a water main break affected water availability in western Carmel.

According to Carmel Utilities, the boil advisory has been repealed after results from tests that were conducted on Tuesday determined that no bacteriological contamination was present.

This marks the latest development after drinking water customers residing to the west of College Avenue were under a boil water notice due

to a loss of pressure in the department’s drinking water system.

Previous reporting indicates this was caused by a fire hydrant being “unexpectedly blown off the water line.” Carmel Utilities told FOX59/CBS4 on Monday afternoon that as many as 15,000 services were impacted. Customers were advised to boil water for a minimum of one minute before consuming it.

“As anticipated, the test results received came back absent of any bacteriological contamination in our system,” Director of Carmel Utilities Lane Young said. “We trust this result gives our customers confidence in our system and the safe water we provide for their use.”

Now that the boil water notice has been lifted, Carmel Utilities and Hamilton County Health Department provided the following tips:

• Run cold water taps for at least 5 minutes and hot water taps for at least 30 minutes to flush household pipes.
• Clean and flush appliances that use water, such as refrigerators with water dispensers, ice makers, coffee makers, and water softeners, following manufacturer instructions.
• Discard and replace ice made during the advisory.
• Flush outdoor faucets, hoses, and water features if used for cooking, cleaning, or pets. When flushing internal pipes, aerators should be removed first (if applicable), prior to flushing.  Rinse the aerator prior to re-installing.
• Follow manufacturer’s guidelines for replacement of water filters.

Carmel Utilities said it would provide more background and “steps being taken moving forward” that would be posted on its website.