Update, 3:27 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12: The boil order for The Plains has been lifted, per a message from Athens County Emergency Communications.
Update 3:21 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12: Oscar Carson, superintendent of the Athens County Water and Sewer District, said on Facebook that the boil order will likely be lifted sometime on Friday, Nov. 13, if water tests show safe results.
Update 2:22 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11: County officials said that the water break has been repaired and water is now available. A boil order remains in effect. “Some residents will still experience low pressure,” an alert from Athens County Emergency Communications said. “We would like to ask customers to conserve water today so the tanks can fill up.”
THE PLAINS, Ohio — A water main break in The Plains today, Wednesday, Nov. 11, has drained its water supply, leaving residents without water.
The source of the break is unclear. In The Plains/Chauncey Neighborhood Facebook group, Oscar Carson, superintendent of the Athens County Water and Sewer District, said that the district had to let the water tanks drain completely so that the leak could be fixed.
“It appears that [the tanks] are empty now so once the daylight gets here we are going to get the water back on,” Carson wrote on Facebook.
Carson added that water service likely won’t be restored til later this evening and that a boil order will remain in effect through Friday. Johnson Road by Athens High School was shut down Wednesday morning in order to access the damaged main.
In the comment section of another post, Carson provided an update on the repair efforts Wednesday afternoon.
“We got the leak fixed, now we are slowly filling the lines trying not to create another leak, so everyone please be patient,” Carson wrote on Facebook. “I know this has been a huge inconvenience but hopefully by this evening people will start getting pressure back.”
The Independent attempted to contact the Athens County Water and Sewer District but was directed to an automated phone line. An Independent reporter went to the Athens County Water and Sewer District office to speak to someone directly and found that the office was closed for Veterans Day.
Chad Springer, the superintendent of the Athens City School District, told the Independent that the damaged water main isn’t connected to the ongoing construction at the new high school.
Athens High School was open today and operating under the state approved emergency operations plan.
“As soon as we were made aware [of the water main break], we began calling in additional staff to bring fresh drinking water and hand sanitizer to the buildings and supply water to flush toilets according to our emergency plans,” Springer said.
Businesses in The Plains have also been impacted by the lack of water. Gigi’s Country Kitchen closed for the day, while Eclipse Company Store plans to reopen at 4 p.m. this afternoon.
The Plains Public Library was closed in observance of Veterans Day.
Athens Township, Athens County Emergency Medical Services and The Plains Volunteer Fire Department did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
