North Bend hoping 'water boil alert' can end Friday - KETV Omaha

'Water boil alert' continues for North Bend residents

North Bend hoping 'water boil alert' can end Friday

Residents of North Bend, just west of Fremont, are hoping an ongoing "water boil alert" will end Friday — after it was extended again.

The alert has been going on for 10 days. It's forced residents to boil all the water they will use for consumption. They've been allowed to shower, wash laundry and water their lawn — the alert is only for water that's being consumed.

"When it first started, I don't know how anybody's house was, but mine had big pots of water on the stove that had been boiled ready for cooking and washing," Janice Ondracek, a North Bend resident, said. "We didn't know what we were looking at."

PeopleService Inc. controls North Bends sewers and water plants. A spokesperson for the company sent KETV a statement Wednesday:

“The boil water notice has been extended to Friday, August 23, 2023. The testing of the water is showing coliform bacteria. Disinfection of the water system has been increased to remove the coliform bacteria and we are sampling again..."

PeopleService tested the water Wednesday morning and will test again Thursday. They'll also take more samples on Friday if needed. If the most recent round of samples comes back positive, the boil-water alert will be extended into next week.

The city of North Bend also sent KETV a statement: “The City of North Bend is as anxious as everyone else in our community wanting this boil order to go away. PeopleService is taking samples & as soon as we get results with all 5 tests being approved two days in a row, notification will go out. Until that time if you consume the water we ask that you continue to boil for one minute.”

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