UPDATED: 5/10/2022 5:38pm
RESCIND BOIL WATER NOTIFICATION
City of Harker Heights
PWS ID No. 0140023
The May 08, 2022 Boil Water Order has been Lifted for the following areas:
• All properties in the City including all businesses and residents.
Normal water usage may resume immediately. Service has been restored, and all water
quality tests have been completed. The water is now safe to drink and use without boiling.
TCEQ Required Notice:
On May 08, 2022, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality required the City of Harker Heights public water system, PWS ID #0140023, to issue a Boil Water Notice to inform customers, individuals, or employees that due to conditions which occurred recently in the public water system, the water from this public water system was required to be boiled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes.
The public water system has taken the necessary corrective actions to restore the quality of the water distributed by this public water system used for drinking water or human consumption purposes and has provided TCEQ with laboratory test results that indicate that the water no longer requires boiling prior to use as of May 10, 2022.
If you have questions regarding this matter you may contact:
Public Works Department at 254-953-5649
Mark Hyde, Public Works Director at 254-953-5641 or
David Mitchell, City Manager at 254-953-5600
In response to WCID #1 latest press release on Water Use Restrictions, the City of Harker Heights is moving the drought restrictions to a Stage 1 – Mild Water Shortage Conditions, Voluntary Conservation. The City of Harker Heights water storage facilities are back to normal operating levels.
Stage 1 – is a water conservation by avoiding non-essential water uses to achieve a target reduction of 5% of the city’s total water demand. Irrigation of landscaped area with hose-end sprinklers or automatic irrigation systems should be limited to any two days of the week between the hours of 8pm and 9am. Outdoor watering is discouraged between hours of 9am and 8pm – except with hand-held hoses.
Water use customers shall voluntarily limit outdoor water use by participating in the watering schedule for outdoor water use effective May 10, 2022.
PLEASE NOTE, THE BOIL WATER NOTICE REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR OUR ENTIRE HARKER HEIGHTS COMMUNITY UNTIL OTHERWISE STATED. The City of Harker Heights expects to have water sample test results back by this evening (Tuesday – May 10th). The City will alert the public once those results are confirmed.
Should you have questions, please call the City of Harker Heights Public Works Department at 254-953-5649.
UPDATE: 5/9/2022 10:50am
City of Harker Heights Lessens Water and Mandatory Conservation Restrictions
Boil water order remains in effect for all residents and businesses.
The City of Harker Heights is rescinding Stage 4 Restrictions and will implement Stage 2 moderate water shortage conditions - mandatory conservation.
Water use restrictions are still required – conserve as much water for the next 24 hours. Customer demand for water will dictate how long water storage facilities remain at below normal levels. All water should be boiled prior to consumption.
“The citizens and businesses of Harker Heights conservation efforts have greatly helped us to preserve the essential services. The Arrowhead and Cedar Oaks storage tanks are nearly full. The City has coordinated with large water users to reduce consumption levels.” states Jerry Bark, Assistant City Manager
The following uses and activities are prohibited:
- Irrigation of landscaped areas
- Washing down sidewalks, walkways, driveways, or other hard surfaces.
- Flushing gutters, or filling swimming pools or jacuzzi type pools.
- No charity car washes
Sampling and testing of the water system will be taken late this afternoon (Monday) and results are expected by Wednesday morning. The WCID May 9, 2022 9am update press release is attached.
Reminder of the Boil Water Notice:
A BOIL WATER NOTICE is issued for all City of Harker Heights residents and businesses beginning May 8 at 4:00 p.m. All residents and businesses should boil all water prior to consumption until water sampling results confirm that no contamination occurred.
TCEQ Required Notice:
Due to conditions caused by water system repair, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has required the City of Harker Heights, PWS 0140023, to notify all City of Harker Heights customers to boil their water prior to consumption. Children, seniors, and persons with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to harmful bacteria, and all affected customers should follow these directions. A press release was issued, and local news agencies were notified prior to the repair.
To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking and for making ice should be boiled and cooled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes. In lieu of boiling, you may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source. When it is no longer necessary to boil the water, the public water system officials will notify customers that the water is safe for drinking water or human consumption purposes. Once the boil water notice is no longer in effect, the public water system officials will issue a notice to customers that rescinds the boil water notice in a manner similar to this notice.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
If you have questions regarding this matter you may contact:
Public Works Department at 254-953-5649,
Mark Hyde, Public Works Director at 254-953-5641 or
David Mitchell, City Manager at 254-953-5600
UPDATE: 10:43pm 5/8/22
The flow levels with in the storage tanks are improving and water heaters can be turned back on. Please realize that the boil water notice is still in effect and that water conservation is still mandatory.
Staff appreciates your efforts during this time.
URGENT UPDATE – HARKER HEIGHTS WATER CAPACITY 8:15pm 5/8/22
With the power being restored to WCID water plant, staff was hoping to see a regeneration of water into our storage tanks. The process is taking much longer than anticipated.
The City of Harker Heights will get water around midnight tonight due to how much our whole system has depleted.
Staff has made the decision to shut down the flow of water from our storage tanks to save what water the City currently has left for firefighting purposes. If we do not take these measures our tanks will be completely empty before we get water from WCID.
Citizens and businesses will be without water until the City starts to receive water from WCID – which is expected at midnight tonight. Once there is enough water back into the storage tanks, then the values will be reopened in the early morning hours.
Homeowners should turn off the water heater if the water is not running. Residents can go to the breaker box in the home and throw the breaker to the “off” position for the water heater.
We apologize for the inconvenience and request that you share this information with family and friends.
BOIL WATER NOTICE ISSUED FOR HARKER HEIGHTS, ALL CITIES SERVICED BY WCID
The Water Control and Improvement District #1 states this is due to a power outage and pressure loss; Residents and businesses asked to continue to conserve water.
The Bell County Water Control and Improvement District #1, which supplies the city’s water, has issued a boil water notice effective immediately, May 8, 2022, for all cities it services, including Killeen, Harker Heights, Copperas Cove, Belton, Nolanville and the Fort Hood Military Reservation. This includes all residents and businesses.
WCID says that at about 1p.m. today, all electrical power was lost at the Belton Water Treatment Plant. WCID says this follows a water pressure loss from Saturday, May 7, from a break in a 48-inch transmission main. That break was nearly fully restored when today’s outage occurred, but because pressure has been lost throughout the entire system, WCID says they will issue a boil water notice in accordance with TCEQ regulations until further for at least 36 hours.
Once full pressure and disinfectant levels are restored, WCID says their staff will collect bacteriological samples. The necessary e-coli test takes 24 hours to complete. The boil order will be lifted for all parts of the system with passing test results.
A BOIL WATER NOTICE is issued for all City of Harker Heights residents and businesses beginning May 8 at 4:00 p.m. All residents and businesses should boil all water prior to consumption until water sampling results confirm that no contamination occurred.
TCEQ Required Notice:
Due to conditions caused by water system repair, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has required the City of Harker Heights, PWS 0140023, to notify all City of Harker Heights customers to boil their water prior to consumption. Children, seniors, and persons with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to harmful bacteria, and all affected customers should follow these directions. A press release was issued and local news agencies were notified prior to the repair.
To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking and for making ice should be boiled and cooled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes. In lieu of boiling, you may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source. When it is no longer necessary to boil the water, the public water system officials will notify customers that the water is safe for drinking water or human consumption purposes. Once the boil water notice is no longer in effect, the public water system officials will issue a notice to customers that rescinds the boil water notice in a manner similar to this notice.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
If you have questions regarding this matter you may contact:
Public Works Department at 254-953-5649,
Mark Hyde, Public Works Director at 254-953-5641 or
David Mitchell, City Manager at 254-953-5600