Mooresburg Utility District has major water leak

Update, Feb. 11: Mooresburg Utility District lifted its boil advisory Wednesday, saying water is safe to drink, bathe in and cook with. Air in the lines may cause the water to look cloudy or milky, but that will clear with usage. Update, Feb. 9: Saturday evening, the Mooresburg Utility District announced that water was restored to everyone in Mooresburg. Its boil advisory is still in effect. Monday morning, the utility said it is taking water samples to be tested, and that cases of water are still available at its office and at S&J Produce. MOORESBURG — The Mooresburg Utility District is experiencing a water shortage due to a major leak, it said in a Thursday morning Facebook post. The utility serves about 700 customers. The cold weather complicated the utility's hours-long search for the leak. It also contributed to water drainage as customers leave faucets running to avoid burst pipes. Mooresburg Utility buys water from Bean Station Utility, which has a major leak draining its tank, the post said. So, Bean Station Utility had to shut the main water valves to Mooresburg and Rutledge. In the meantime, Mooresburg Utility had cases of water available at its office and S&J Produce, limited at two cases a household. The East Rogersville Baptist Church Community Center opened its showering facilities to impacted utility customers. Thursday afternoon, the utility asked customers to boil any water that came through the system and continue to conserve usage. Mooresburg Utility first posted about the problem Wednesday around 10 a.m. It asked customers in the Slate Hill area to conserve water as its employees looked for leaks. Several hours later, the utility asked all customers to conserve water, saying its tanks were low. Facebook commenters said they had no water or very low pressure. "We ask our customers to understand we are working to try to resolve this issue," the Thursday morning post said. "Our [four] employees along with our [three] board members will be out there again today." Employees from other utility districts are helping look for the leak, Hawkins County Mayor Mark DeWitte wrote on the county's Facebook page. DeWitte thanked them and other community members for their help providing bottled water and managing the issue. If you see a leak, contact the Mooresburg Utility District's office at 423-921-7815. This is a developing story. It was originally posted at 8:45 a.m. Thursday and updated at 5:30 p.m.