Stafford fixes broken water pipe; Boil advisory remains

The water line broke under Austin Run, intersecting with Richmond Highway (Route 1) in Stafford County.  The line broke late Tuesday night as a heavy rain storm was ending.  Officials told Potomac Local News that high water flowed from the pipe into Austin Run.

At the time, the National Weather Service had placed Stafford under a flood warning, meaning water was topping roads, creeks were topping banks, and the Rappahannock River was beginning to swell into what would be water levels of nearly 10 feet above flood stage.

They have temporarily taken the pipe out of service until the water levels subside, and they can excavate the pipe to determine the cause of the break, said county spokeswoman Shannon Eubanks.

In the meantime, all water service has been restored. However, the boil water advisory is still in effect until the utilities department verifies that water is safe for consumption.

Customers should flush all faucets before use by running cold water for at least five minutes. This should also resolve any discolored water you may have. Continue to boil water until further notice.

The county government set up a water distribution point at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church at 1201 Courthouse Road on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2o24, following the boil-water advisory. Crews gave out more than 1,000 cases of water.

The distribution continued today as cars pulled up to find about 10 people waiting to put water into their vehicles. Each vehicle received one case of water per every two people in the home.

“That’s the recommended daily requirement for people to drink,” said Stafford County Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator Katie Carpenter.

Many of those who collected water said they lived in Aquia Harbour and hadn’t drunk any tap water since the county issued the boil advisory. They credited the county’s emails, text messaging, and the Ring app for alerting them to the boil-water advisory.

Keep your umbrellas handy; another half-inch of rain will fall on Friday, Jan 12, 2024.