City officials in Blaine said Sunday afternoon that the city's water system is up and running. But they urged residents to continue to boil drinking water until Monday afternoon, just as a precaution.
Because of the problems, Blaine schools will be closed Monday. If a student goes to another school but gets picked up at a Blaine school, the bus will be there to transport them. The closed schools are Jefferson Elementary; Johnsville Elementary; Madison Elementary; University Avenue Elementary, Roosevelt Middle School and Blaine High School.
Residents woke up to a citywide water problem Sunday morning. Some had no water; others had a trickle, said Bob Therres, Public Works Department manager. Utility workers searched without success for a physical problem with the system.
At 2:30 p.m., a post on the city's Facebook page said a "failure of software communication systems within the water delivery system" was likely to blame.
Officials said the water system was up and running "like it should be" and that there were no known safety or contamination issues. Still, the city asked residents to continue to boil water used for drinking and cooking until Monday afternoon. Anytime there is low water pressure, bacteria can enter the system. Water cultures take 24 hours to complete.
Therres said the city would provide an update when the tests are done.
Pat Pheifer
