The water situation in Benton Harbor became more complicated Wednesday when the city experienced what was described as a large water main break which resulted in a system-wide loss of water pressure across the city.
The city issued a warning to residents not to drink the water until further notice. City residents had already been under a recommendation not to drink the water due to high lead content.
In a Thursday afternoon press release, the city said they are working diligently to restore water service and urged residents to continue to get bottled water from distribution sites.
In addition, they said to begin to open only the cold water drain on the bathtub, and that the water that comes out will initially be dirty or have particulate.
If you need water to flush toilets, bring a bucket to the City Center, where there is a tank of non-potable water available for such purposes.
The city also said that as service is restored, it will take up to 24 hours for water to reach all customers, restore pressure and be useable again.
Contact Kent at kfulmer@wvpe.org.
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