DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A broken water main in Dubuque has spilled 3.3 million gallons of water, the largest amount leaked in the city in at least 24 years.
Brant Schueller, the city’s water distribution supervisor, tells the Telegraph Herald that crews responded to the break around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The city issued a boil advisory for drinking water nine hours later because of potential bacteria contamination. Officials say residents shouldn’t drink the water or use it to prepare food. The advisory runs until 3 p.m. Thursday.
Some residents expressed concerns about the city’s approach to notifying residents of the potential risks.
According to the Telepgraph Herald, officials from Dubuque’s water department said that samples collected on Tuesday showed that there was no contamination. Testing takes 18 hours to finish, and results on Wednesday’s samples are pending.
The impacted areas of downtown Dubuque, the Port of Dubuque and properties in the area of Central Avenue and Rhomberg Avenue contain about 5,500 water customers.
