Update: Boil water advisory lifted in southern Asheville; some areas still without service
The city of Asheville said Jan. 1 that water service has been restored to much of the southern part of the area, but some areas are still without water.
In a Facebook post by Asheville City Government at 12:45 p.m. Jan. 1, the city said the "majority of water service has been restored in the south," including Ducker West in Biltmore Park and parts of Walnut Cove.
In a later release from spokesperson Christy Edwards, a boil water advisory for the southern areas has been lifted except for The Cliffs at Walnut Cove. The city has deemed water safe for residents in the following areas, and they no longer need to boil it before consuming, according to the 3 p.m. release:
South Asheville.
Arden.
Fletcher.
Fairview.
Mills River.
All areas in Avery's Creek area except for The Cliffs.
The city has created a boil advisory map.
However, some areas in western Buncombe County were still having water service problems, and work was underway to restore full service in those areas. There was no word on how many customers and people had no water service.
"Western portions of Buncombe County are getting water although there will be fluctuations in water pressure and intermittent loss of water as lines continue to pressurize," the 3 p.m. statement said.
Restoring full service to residents in higher elevations in the western portion of Buncombe County is taking longer than for other locations.
"The greatest challenge will continue to be moving water to higher elevations," the release from Edwards said. "Higher elevations such as Spivey Mountain and Candler Knob will continue to be restored over the next several days."
The city is directing residents to a map showing where water service restoration has been completed and is underway. It said status updates will be sent throughout the day through AVL Alerts to people in the affected areas.
Previous coverage:
Dec. 31:Asheville water restoration updates: How to get water if you don't have service
Dec. 30:Asheville leaders ditch timeline for full water restoration; number without water unknown
Dec. 29:Update: Water is being restored to southern areas of Asheville, city says
Dec. 28:Almost 40K people were without water in Asheville area; service is returning
Dec. 27:Asheville-area communities without water as city faces line breaks, other issues
For those who have no water service, water delivery will continue from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 1 and 2. Residents can call 828-251-1122 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. to request water and report outages.
Water also was available until 5 p.m. Jan. 1 at the following fire stations, the city said:
West Buncombe Fire Department, 549 Old County Home Road, Asheville.
Enka-Candler Station #2, 2332 Smoky Park Highway, Candler.
Woodfin Fire Department, 20 New St., Asheville.
In its 12:45 p.m. post, the city said residents might see water running out of fire hydrants in their neighborhoods. The statement said this is done to get air out of the waterlines, which will help get the whole system online.
Water troubles in Asheville started when basins in the Mills River Intake "froze over" and the plant stopped producing water Christmas Eve. In addition, the city pointed to several days of sustained single-digit temperatures that dipped as low as zero that led to leaks, and usage that they characterized as unusually high.
Check back for more details as they become available.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville water restoration continues, some still without service
