CITY LIFTS ORDER TO BOIL WATER

It's finally OK to quench your thirst with a cool glass of water. The City of Cape Girardeau lifted a boil water order Sunday morning.

Water sample analysis tested negative for contaminants. Previous residential and commercial water use restrictions also were lifted over the weekend.

The city issued a boil water order Friday when the last of the city's water pumps broke. The pumps were damaged during the Mississippi River flooding.

Emergency repairs to the water system were completed at 11:30 p.m. Friday.

A permanent pump and two temporary pumps were installed at the Cape Rock Treatment Plant.

Although new units are being installed, there's no guarantee that the plant will not have future problems, said Tom Taggart, water utilities manager with Alliance Water Resources.

Water production at the plant has been restored to normal intake and operations have resumed.

"We never changed our treatment," Taggart said. When water pressure drops below 20 pounds, the Department of Natural Resources requires that precautionary boil water orders be issued.

Although water production at the Cape Rock Treatment Plant is back to normal levels, it will take some time to refill the water storage tanks.