GOLDEN VALLEY, AZ — Authorities say about 500 homes in the unincorporated community of Golden Valley in northwestern Arizona have been without water for days due to a broken well.
Mohave County workers began distributing bottled water on Tuesday for residents without water.
A county engineer says a 1,500-foot well broke late Friday and a contractor disassembled the well two days later.
An emergency interconnection with a neighboring water system was put in place, but that hasn’t solved the problem.
Mohave County officials said they shut down the booster station Sunday, which created a pressure loss that may cause problems with the overall movement of water.
This type of system failure could lead to a high potential of water contamination that could enter distribution systems and may pose a health threat to residents served by the system, officials added.
Officials say they are working hard to get things fixed say it is a bigger issue than expected. They need a motor for the broken well which has to be built in Phoenix and then installed in Golden Valley.
It could take up to ten days until residents could see running water again.
WARNINGS FOR RESIDENTS
A drinking water warning has been put in place for the community as crews continue to work towards fixing the water system.
County officials said in a Tuesday release that "boiling of current water is a necessity" as they "are unable to sample the system and cannot determine whether or not bacteria are present."
Below is an interactive map of the area that is currently impacted.
Residents are being advised to boil any water for three minutes before using, and to not drink the water without boiling it first. A county spokesperson also said any stored water, drinks, or ice made recently from the water supply should be discarded.
County officials said residents will be informed when there is no longer a need to boil water.
Officials have also opened up a water distribution site at the Golden Valley Fire District Public Safety Training Center off Colorado Road.
They are providing one gallon of water per person between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Community members have also begun their own efforts, providing free bottled water at the American Legion in Golden Valley and a place for people to fill up.
For more information, residents can call the Golden Valley Improvement District at 928-757-0914.
