Winslow resident Bobbie Jo Roderick noticed early Monday she had no running water at home.

Crews repair a damaged water main Monday on Benton Avenue in Winslow. Photo courtesy of Bobbi Jo Roderick

“I called the water district and they said the digger they were using to fix a hole hit the water main and they are trying to fix it,” Roderick said.

She was not the only one.

Due to the damaged water main on Benton Avenue, the Kennebec Water District issued a boil-water order to residents living between 85 and 120 Benton Ave. Boil-water orders are issued when there is potential for contamination to enter water pipes, according to officials.

KWD officials could not be reached Monday to confirm how many customers were affected by Monday’s boil-water order.

A person at KWD’s answering service said the district was closed Monday for Patriot’s Day, but “they told us to tell callers that there is a water break on Benton Avenue and there is no ETA available. They just told us that they’re working on it right now.”

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All residents who were affected were advised to boil all water for one minute — at a rolling boil — before drinking, making ice cubes, washing food, brushing teeth or any other activity during which water would be consumed. Some residents said they saw discolored or rusty water, likely due to dirt or iron sediment in pipes.

Tap water runs brown Monday because of a damaged water main on Benton Avenue in Winslow. Photo courtesy of Ann Ball

Roderick, who lives in the section of Benton Avenue affected by the water main break, said she awoke at about 1:30 a.m. to use the restroom and noticed her toilet did not refill after being flushed.

“Right now, we have no water again because I believe when they were filling the hole back up, it might’ve been re-ruptured,” Roderick said. “The road was soaked with water.”

According to KWD’s Facebook page, Kennebec Water District representatives were collecting water samples for testing. Results of the bacteria tests will be available 24 hours after the test begins.

“We’re doing bottled water and buying water from Walmart,” Roderick said. “Our neighbor is helping us out with some water, too. Right now, we have nothing until they fix the problem.”


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