SANDUSKY, Ohio — After a few days of limited water intake, the City of Sandusky said the water use advisory for Sandusky and Erie County residents has been lifted.
What You Need To Know
A water use advisory was issued Monday afternoon by the city
Crews made progress in replenishing water uptake Tuesday afternoon
The city was initially asking residents to limit water use as there was high demand
A water use advisory was issued Monday afternoon by the city, saying that water flow to the Big Island Works plant was temporarily restricted because of heavy ice and a lack of water flow.
In an update Tuesday evening, the city’s water has started flowing again from the backup intake in Sandusky Bay. Then, in an update on Wednesday, the city said the advisory has officially been lifted.
“Recent extreme cold and sustained winds created rare conditions that affected the City’s water intakes. While ice impacted the primary Lake Erie intake, the larger issue occurred at the secondary intake in Sandusky Bay, where strong west and southwest winds pushed water away from the intake structure, limiting the amount of raw water that could be brought into the Big Island Water Works plant,” the city wrote in a statement. “As conditions improved and additional measures were implemented, water flow stabilized and system storage recovered to a level where restrictions are no longer necessary.”
As the extreme cold weather is expected to continue throughout the weekend, the city said it will continue to evaluate the system and make changes as necessary.
“Our staff responded quickly and worked around the clock to manage a very unusual situation,” said City Manager John Orzech in a statement. “I want to thank our water plant staff, the Sandusky Fire Department, Public Works crews, and other city employees for their dedication. I also want to thank Erie County for their coordination and support, as well as the City of Huron for working collaboratively with us during this event. I especially want to thank our residents and local businesses who reduced water use when asked. That cooperation played an important role in helping protect the system.”
Updates will be posted on the city’s website and social media.