West Chester boil order lifted

WEST CHESTER — Residents of West Chester spent Tuesday and Wednesday under a boil order after a water main broke on West Street. City officials said they had to send a sample to the state for bacteria testing after the main’s pressure fell below 20 PSI.

While such breaks typically impact only a few blocks, that area constitutes the entirety of West Chester, a town of 144 residents.

“Tuesday night we discovered a leak … and the repair man couldn’t come until Wednesday morning,” City Clerk Sue Janecek said. “Since the water has to be run differently through the system during that time, we (had) to have a boil order.”

City Water Operator Chad McCleary said the bacteria test result came back with no red flags Thursday morning, allowing the boil order to end.

He said water infrastructure incidents weren’t uncommon, given the time of year.

“Water main breaks just happen,” he said. “It’s getting cold out, when things get cold the frost starts to get driven down into the ground, that’s when you tend to have main breaks, so nothing out of the ordinary.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com