Fort Worth residents search for drinkable water amid boil orders, frozen pipes
As freezing temperatures persisted in Fort Worth, pipes froze or burst across the city and forced some to scramble to find clean water. For many of those who did have water, the city and suburbs issued boil orders.
At Burger’s Lake in Fort Worth, people in 35 to 40 cars waited their turn for fresh water at 8 a.m. Thursday as the owners attached a hose to a pipe carrying natural spring water. More than 100 people filled water up at the spring on Wednesday and Thursday.
State troopers and police helped organize the flow of traffic. People held out everything from Tupperware to plastic totes to be filled with water.
More than 200,000 people in the northern third of Fort Worth are still under a boil advisory following freezes at treatment plants and pump stations. Some boil orders were issued due to water main breaks, which cause a loss of pressure in water systems and may allow contaminants to seep into the water. Crews have repaired half of the 180 water main breaks that have occurred in Fort Worth since Sunday, the Fort Worth Water Department said.
The latest boil water advisory effects residents from Montgomery Street west as well as the cities of Aledo, White Settlement and Westover Hills.
Arlington has a boil advisory, North Richland Hills has a boil advisory and emergency use order, and Watauga residents have been told to conserve water.
Fort Worth Water is primarily communicating boil advisories through its Facebook and Twitter pages along with media notices. The city will also send automated robocalls and text messages, spokesperson Mary Gugliuzza said. Information about the text and phone alert system can be found on the city’s website.
Water should be boiled before use, including when drinking, brushing teeth and for cooking and hand and face washing. Once the water reaches a boil, it should continue boiling for two minutes.
Places offering clean water
Restaurants offered to help people fill their water needs, as well.
Hopfusion Ale Works, a brewery at 200 East Broadway Avenue, posted on social media that it was giving out 2,000 gallons of hot and cold water from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday. Craftwork Coffee on Magnolia Avenue and Craftwork Coffee at The Cooper on West Rosedale were open Thursday and offered to fill water jugs for people while they are open.
Panther Island Brewing on 501 North Main St., Cowtown Brewery at 1301 East Belknap St. and Wild Acre Brewery at 1734 E. El Paso St. were also filling up water containers on Thursday.
“This is a community problem that we are experiencing and the community is rallying to help us make sure that we have the ability to provide safe drinking water to our residents,” Fort Worth Fire Chief Jim Davis said in a city press release. “We thank everyone who has stepped up.”
Fort Worth is distributing water at the following locations:
- Station 9, 2575 Polaris Drive.
- Station 31, 4209 Longstraw Drive.
- Station 38, 13280 Park Vista Blvd..
- Trinity Springs Middle School, 3350 Keller Hicks Road.
- Sendera Elementary, 1216 Diamondback Lane
- Comanche Springs Elementary, 8063 Comanche Springs Drive
- Willow Creek Elementary, 1100 W. McLeroy Blvd.
- RD Evans Community Center, 3242 Lackland Road (starts Friday)
- Western Hills High School, 3600 Boston Ave.
- Birchman Baptist Church, 9100 North Normandale St. (starts Friday)
Distribution at all sites started Thursday at 8 a.m. and will continue as long as supplies last.
This story was originally published February 18, 2021 at 4:20 PM.
