Lampasas water customers are now under Stage 5 water restrictions after the main concrete transmission line that delivers water to the city is undergoing repairs.
Under stage 5 restrictions, all the requirements of stages 2, 3, and 4 remain in effect. New restrictions prohibit the irrigation of landscaping, all outdoor and non-essential water use, and the washing of a motor vehicle, motorbike, boat, trailer, or any other vehicle.
At 11:04 a.m., the Kempner Water Supply Corp. issued an alert to customers that a contractor had struck the transmission line near County Road 4807 between Kempner and Copperas Cove. KWSC General Manager Bruce Sorenson hopes the repair will be completed by the end of Tuesday.
“Well, the last time we had one of these it was about a 24-hour deal,” Sorenson said. “It will be sometime tomorrow afternoon.”
In its alert to customers, the KWSC said members “located past CR 4807 toward Lampasas” will be without water. Those affected by the outage include those on the north side of the system off North Farm-to-Market Road 116, plus the north and northwestern sides along Farm-to-Market Road 580 and County Road 3220.
“This incident is expected to affect approximately 70% of our system, so any members currently without water are likely impacted by this leak,” the KWSC said in an alert to customers.
Due to the line leak, the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality has required the KWSC to issue a boil water notice to all customers. Customers must boil their water before consumption, including washing hands and face, brushing teeth, drinking, and any other reason to use water. Children, seniors, and those with weakened immune systems are more vulnerable to harmful bacteria that could be in the water.
“To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes,” the KWSC stated in a customer alert. “The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes.”
