Drinking Water Warning/Boil Advisory Update

A drinking water warning/boiling advisory remains in effect for all City of Sevierville Water System customers, and Sevier County Water System customers in the following areas: Sims Road, Flat Creek, Allensville, Lane Hollow, Thomas Cross Road, Boyds Creek, and Jayell Road.

Water Systems employees have made significant progress towards restoring water service. Numerous water samples have been collected and are being processed; results should be available tomorrow afternoon. The test results will let us know if there is any contamination in the system. Updated guidance to customers will be provided depending upon the test results.

Customers may monitor our social media page, call 865-453-5522, or visit either of the following websites for helpful information and announcements:

https://cityofseviervilletennessee.godaddysites.com/

www.seviervilletn.org.

In addition to the information below titled “Drinking Water Warning,” the following FAQ’s will be helpful to customers.

Bathing and showering

• Be careful not to swallow any water when bathing or showering.
• Use caution when bathing babies and young children. Consider giving them a sponge bath to reduce the chance of them swallowing water.

Washing dishes

• If possible, use disposable plates, cups, and utensils during a boil water advisory.
• Household dishwashers are generally safe to use if:
  • The water reaches a final rinse temperature of at least 150 degrees Fahrenheit (66°Celsius), or
  • The dishwater has a sanitizing cycle.
• Sanitize all baby bottles.
• To wash dishes by hand:
  • Wash and rinse the dishes as you normally would using hot water.
  • In a separate basin, add 1 teaspoon of unscented household liquid bleach for each gallon of warm water.
  • Soak the rinsed dishes in the water for at least one minute.
  • Let the dishes air dry completely before using again.

Laundry

• It is safe to wash clothes as usual.

More information from the CDC regarding Boil Water Advisories is available here:

https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/emergency/drinking/drinking-water-advisories/boil-water-advisory.html.

 

DRINKING WATER WARNING

The City of Sevierville water system lost pressure in the distribution system. The following notice applies to all Sevierville Water System customers. This notice also applies to Sevier County Water System customers in the following areas: Sims Road, Flat Creek, Allensville, Lane Hollow, Thomas Cross Road, Boyds Creek, and Jayell Road.

 

BOIL YOUR WATER FOR THREE MINUTES BEFORE USING

The City of Sevierville Water system lost system water pressure, mainly at higher elevations, due to an interruption in treatment plant operations on Wednesday, July 12, 2022. This loss of pressure in the distribution system may cause backpressure, backsiphonage, or a net movement of water from outside the pipe to the inside through cracks, breaks, or joints in the distribution system that are common in all water systems. Such a system failure carries with it a high potential that fecal contamination or other disease-causing organisms could enter the distribution system. These conditions may pose an imminent and substantial health endangerment to persons served by the system.

What should I do?

DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a rolling boil for at least (3) three minutes, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. ALL STORED WATER, DRINK OR ICE MADE RECENTLY FROM THIS SUPPLY SHALL BE DISCARDED.

• Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites which can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly and people with severely compromised immune systems.
• The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.

What happened? What is being done?

The severe storms and flash flooding on July 12 carried significant debris to the water treatment plant intake. The debris caused blockage of intake filters and disrupted plant operation capabilities. Employees have been working diligently to clean the intake filters and restore water service and system pressures. We will inform you when you no longer need to boil your water.