Boil water notice issued for parts of Horseshoe Bay after pipe bursts

The Texas Commission of Environmental Quality issued a boil water notice during the early morning hours of Friday, Dec. 30, to parts of Horseshoe Bay after a busted pipe caused water pressure to plummet.

Per the warning, residents of Cross Bow, Broken Arrow, and all adjoining side streets as well as No Return and Lighthouse Drive are advised to boil their water before brushing their teeth, washing their hands, or any other means of consumption as TCEQ officials test water samples for harmful bacteria resulting from the low pressure.

The incident began on Thursday night, when an old pipe at Ferguson Drive and Hi Circle North burst and began to gush water.

“Those original pipes that were laid weren’t insulated,” Horseshoe Bay Mayor Cynthia Clinesmith said. “They’re just sitting on top of that bedrock, and whenever it’s cold and then it gets hot again, the pipe sort of shifts. Over time, if it shifts too much and rubs against that old rock, it will cause a leak. In this case, it actually broke.”

Public works officials worked through Thursday night to fix the pipe. 

“It took them until 3 a.m. (Friday) to get it fixed,” Clinesmith said. “It was a big, main pipe, and they had to dig up that whole area.”

Although the pipe is fixed, TCEQ will continue to monitor bacterial levels in the water for the next 24 hours as a precautionary measure.

“Any time you have to shut off water for more than two hours, you have to issue a boil water notice,” Clinesmith said. “You never know if a little dirt or fertilizer got into the water upstream, so they just want to make sure.”

The boil water notice should be lifted by New Year’s Eve night, Clinesmith said.

nathan@thepicayune.com