UPDATED WATER NOTICE-SWANNSYLVANIA AREA ONLY (10/6/2024 3:45 PM)

On September 27^th, the Dandridge Water Management Facility issued a Boil Water Notice to customers in the Swannsylvania area of our distribution system.  That notice required customers to boil their water prior to consuming it.

Necessary corrective actions to restore the quality of the water distributed has been taken.  After providing notification to TDEC of laboratory test results that indicate that the water no longer requires boiling prior to use, the Boil Notice has been officially rescinded as of October 6, 2024.

If you have questions concerning this matter, you may contact Dandridge Water at 865-397-3696.

Please share this information with everyone who drinks this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly.

This notice is being submitted to you by Dandridge Water Management Facility. PWSID#0000170

Date distributed: 10-6-2024.

Now that the Water Boil Notice has been lifted, here are a few FAQs to guide you:

Q: Are we still advised to conserve water?
A: No, the Water Conservation Alert has been lifted.

Q: Do we still have to boil our water before consuming?
A: No, as of October 6, 2024, the Boil Water Alert was rescinded.

Q: What actions were taken to lift the Boil Water Alert?
A: Upon receiving notice from Newport Utilities that our meter’s Boil Water Alert was rescinded, we took steps to flush the distribution system in the area. We established a sampling plan that provided representation of the entire Swannsylvania area and collected bacteriological samples. After providing notification to TDEC of laboratory test results that indicate that the water no longer requires boiling prior to use, the Boil Notice was officially rescinded.

Q: Can I turn on my water heater?
A: Yes, when you re-energize your water heater, please make sure to allow your water heater to fill up before re-energizing.  It might be a good time to flush your hot water heater as is part of proper routine maintenance.

Q: What if my water has not returned?
A: All water service should be restored at this time.  If you do not have water at your residence, please call our office at (865) 397-3696.

Q: What other steps can I take to ensure my water is safe to drink?

A: We recommend running all cold water taps for five minutes.  Begin with the lowest faucet or first in your home and then open the other faucets one at a time, moving from lowest floor to your highest. After five minutes, turn off your faucets in reverse order, from highest to lowest. You should also flush your refrigerator’s water lines and consider replacing the filter if you ran water through it during the boil water notice and discard any ice made during that time.

Q:  Why does my water look cloudy, white, or milky?

A:  Occasionally your water may look cloudy or milky. Cloudy or milky-looking water is usually the result of lots of tiny air bubbles suspended in the water. The bubbles are so small that they are almost invisible, but together they look like someone poured milk in your water. Our water has dissolved air in it all the time, but during the recent water outage, we are experiencing more air in our water lines.  If you allow a glass of water to stand for a few moments, the air bubbles will rise to the surface. This phenomenon is called entrained air and does not affect the quality of your water and is not harmful to consume. We are working to purge the air in the lines by flushing lines in the area.  If this issue does not resolve within a week, please call our office so that we can check your specific location at (865) 397-3696.

Q:  Why might my water be brown or light yellow?

A:  Sediments in water mains sometimes get stirred up when fire hydrants are used and when the flow of water in mains is changed. These sediments may cause your water to turn brown or yellow. Wait 30 to 40 minutes after you notice the discolored water and try turning on the cold water in your bathtub for a minute or two. You will probably notice that it clears right up, since sediments settle quickly back to the bottom of water mains. Discolored water due to sediments poses no known health threat, but for aesthetic reasons you should avoid doing laundry until the water color clears up.  If this issue does not resolve within a day, please call our office so that we can check your specific location at (865) 397-3696.

UPDATED WATER NOTICE-SWANNSYLVANIA AREA ONLY (10/1/2024 8:50 PM)

WHAT IS THE LATEST UPDATE ON THE WATER SUPPLY?

Dandridge Water’s Swannsylvania storage tank is nearing the minimum level.  Several customers are already without water and by tomorrow morning the entire Swannsylvania service area will be without water. Customers are advised to shut off the breaker to their electric hot water heaters if they have one.

HOW DO I KNOW IF THIS NOTICE IMPACTS ME?

Because the majority of Dandridge Water’s service area is excluded from this notice, we have included a Swannsylvania Service Area Map to highlight the impacted customers.

WHERE CAN I GET WATER?

Bottled Water:  A Drinking Water Distribution Point is setup for residents of our service area who are in need of drinking water at 2815 Orchard Road, Dandridge, TN 37725 beginning October 1, 2024.  Operation hours will be Monday – Saturday 8am-5pm and Sunday 1pm-5pm.  Customers who are unable to access the distribution point during these hours, please call us at 865-397-3696.

Filling Station for Containers:  Residents of impacted service areas can bring empty containers to Dandridge Water’s office at 1114 Wastewater Road, Dandridge, TN 37725.  We have the ability to fill multiple sizes of containers (most commonly we’ve been filling gallon jugs, 5 gallons bucket, 55 gallon drums, or 100-500 gallon totes).  If you are a contractor hauling large amounts of water for FEMA or aid related to the area, please call the office at 865-397-3696 to schedule a better location for filling.  Operation hours are currently set for Monday – Friday 8am-7pm and Saturday 8am-12pm. If demand calls for extending these hours, we will provide another update.

BOIL WATER NOTICE-SWANNSYLVANIA AREA ONLY Boil Notice-Swannsylvania_9-27-24

BOIL YOUR WATER BEFORE USING

Dandridge Water Management Facility’s only water supplier to the Swannsylvania area is Newport Utilities Board (NUB).  NUB contacted us on the evening of September 27th to advise customers in this service area to use boiled tap water or bottled drinking water for drinking and cooking purposes. Because the majority of Dandridge Water’s service area is excluded from this notice, we have included a Swannsylvania Service Area Map to highlight the impacted customers.

NUB lost system water pressure in portions of their system, which caused some interruption of operations.  Pressure loss in the distribution system may cause backpressure, back siphonage, or a net movement in water from outside the pipe to the inside through cracks, breaks or joints in the distribution system that are common in all water systems.

As a precautionary measure we are asking customers to boil water before using for consumption.  We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience while we work to resolve this problem.

This is a precautionary measure.  We have not verified any water contamination at this point, but the current situation could lead to contaminants entering the distribution system in the outlined area.  Water customers outside this area do not need to take any precautions related to their drinking water.

If you are a customer within the marked area, bring your drinking and cooking water to a full, rolling boil for one minute before using it.

What should I do?

DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a rolling boil, let it boil for at least 3 minutes, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and preparing food until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.  ALL STORED WATER, DRINK OR ICE MADE RECENTLY FROM THIS SUPPLY SHOULD BE DISCARDED.

Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms.  These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites which can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms.  They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly and people with severely compromised immune systems.

The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water.  If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice.  People at increased risk should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.

Bathing and showering:

-Be careful not to swallow any water when bathing or showering.

-Use caution when bathing babies and young children.  Consider giving them a sponge bath to reduce the chance of them swallowing water.

Washing dishes:

-If possible, use disposable plates, cups, and utensils during a boil water advisory.

-Household dishwashers are generally safe to use if the water reaches a final rinse temperature of at least 150 degrees Fahrenheit or the dishwasher has a sanitizing cycle.

-Sanitize all baby bottles.

-To wash dishes by hand, wash and rinse as you normally would using hot water.  In a separate basin, add 1 teaspoon of unscented household liquid bleach for each gallon of warm water.  Soak the rinsed dishes in the water for at least one minute.  Air dry dishes completely before use.

Laundry:

-It is safe to wash clothes as usual.

What is being done?

NUB is currently working to fully assess the impacts to the water system. In addition, we are evaluating all available information and conducting tests to confirm the extent of the possible contamination of the system. We will inform you when tests show no bacteria, and you no longer need to boil your water.

For more information, please contact Dandridge Water at 865-397-3696. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Please share this information with everyone who drinks this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly.

This notice is being submitted to you by Dandridge Water Management Facility. PWSID#0000170

Date distributed: 9-27-2024.

As a way to provide savings to our customers, we have changed our credit/debit payment processing provider.  With this change, the convenience fee has been reduced from 2.75% to 2.5% with no minimum fee for online or in office payments.  For phone payments, the fee will be 2.5% plus $0.30.

In addition to the direct cost savings for customers, this transition provided the following benefits to DWMF:

• Automatic payment posting to utility accounts in the software. (Reducing opportunity for human error in manual processing).
• All information is live and up-to-date (real time).
• Zero cost to city for providing payment and interfacing options. (Savings of $1,310 from the previous interface fee).

Making this change aligned with our mission to operate in a progressive and fiscally responsible manner for our community.  For more information or any questions, feel free to contact the office at (865) 397-3696.

DWMF’s Water Quality Report for 2023 containing important information about the source and quality of your drinking water is now available.  Select the following link to view online:  CCR2023 Dandridge.  For a paper copy of the report, call (865) 397-3696.

The Town of Dandridge will be conducting a Public Meeting on September 5, 2024 at 6:00 p.m., at the Dandridge Public Works Office, 267 West Highway 25/70, Dandridge, Tennessee 37725. The purpose of this meeting is to present information on the Town’s application for Clean Water State Revolving Fund loans in the amount of $400,000. Funds will be utilized for the planning and design services associated with an infiltration/inflow (I/I) correction project.

The impact of this project on monthly user rates will be discussed.

Persons with questions or with disabilities requiring special accommodations should contact the Dandridge Water office at (865) 397-3696. The Town of Dandridge does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age or disability.