Tumalo, Ore. – Tumalo residents who are customers of Laidlaw Water District are on notice to boil water after a main waterline broke over the weekend.
The district, which has 127 users is expected to get results back today (Tuesday), on whether the water is declared safe to consume.
The break in the line occurred along Tumalo Road, about a half a mile east of Tumalo, and likely resulted from a movement in the earth, according to Dave Peer, the district’s manager. Peer indicated that since the break occurred in the lowest point of the system, its unlikely to be contaminated.
The district isolated the break within the first hour of discovering the problem. However, out of safety precautions, the district sent notices to boil water to its users, but the water is safe for bathing.
A break in a water main is not uncommon, according to Peer. Laidlaw Water District has never had a break in its 40 years.
The city of La Pine’s main water line broke last year, prompting a boil advisory after a vehicle hit a hydrant near the city’s wells and main water storage tank.
