Beaver City issues boil‑water advisory after Baker line failure; 20 samples sent for testing

City water staff reported that flooding damaged a ductile‑iron pipeline that supplies Beaver City and that officials have issued a boil‑water advisory while crews take samples and make temporary repairs.

"We're on a boil point with the city water," said Brett, a city water department staff member, describing a coupler failure on a ductile‑iron line that forced staff to isolate the older line and pressurize the HDPE backup. He said crews coupled two sections, added concentrated chlorine and planned to flush the line the following morning.

Brett described the sampling plan and timeframe: crews collected samples this morning and planned to send 20 samples to Cedar. "E. coli can test right away, but other coliform takes 24 hours," he said; he expected results the next morning and said restoration of service for affected areas depends on negative results.

City staff stressed some households remain without water while sections of the distribution lines are exposed and crossings are unstable. As a contingency, staff discussed installing a booster pump or using temporary pumping from headhouse infrastructure if samples indicate contamination.

The water staff said springs feeding the system continue to produce (about 400 gallons per minute at one spring) and that repairs will require heavy equipment because some lines are bent or pushed by rocks. Officials asked residents to follow the boil advisory until the sampling results confirm safety.

Next steps: crews will complete flushing, submit the 20 samples, await laboratory results (approx. 24 hours for non‑E. coli coliforms) and then determine when to lift the advisory or implement temporary pumping to restore service.