SWANTON, OH- Approximately, during the 7:00 pm hour on February 6, 2019 Village crews were notified of pooling water in the parking lot of Swanton Valley Center at 401 West Airport. Village Public Service crews evaluated the situation and identified the cause of the pooling as the private fire suppression line into the facility.
By the time crews arrived, thousands of gallons had flooded the parking lot. To the understanding of Village personnel onsite, there were no alarms set off at Swanton Valley to alert the facility of the issue. In order to prevent more water flowing into the parking lot, the Village Public Service crew closed a main water valve on Airport Highway at approximately 8:00 pm on February 6, 2019.
This main valve closure caused water to depressurize for the majority of properties West of Main Street who are Village water customers. It took many hours for the Swanton Fire & Rescue crews to pump the water away from the catch basin in order to access the valve, on the fire suppression line, in order to close it. Once the Village employees accessed this valve, approximately in the 2:00 a.m. hour on February 7, 2019, the main line valve was opened and water distribution began to be restored to normal pressure.
The Swanton Village Public Works Division issued a drinking water advisory for properties West of Main Street between Airport Highway, north to Village limits. Those affected will receive a door hanger; it is estimated that over 700 properties are impacted.
The Village recommends bringing all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. The water may be used for bathing and other similar purposes without boiling.
The system has been repressurized and bacteria samples were collected. This advisory is a precaution until bacterial sample results are available. The public will be notified through local media when the results are available and the advisory is lifted.
If there are any questions related to the drinking water advisory please contact the Water Treatment Plant at 419.826.5831.
Information courtesy Village of Swanton