Limited nonpotable water started to flow Tuesday evening after pumps failed Sunday at the water treatment plant and cut off water, town officials said. Officials anticipate restoring full service by Monday.
The water should be boiled if used for almost anything besides toilets, Karen Dickson, a public health official, said.
Andrea Phillips, town administrator, presented the good news to a full town hall Tuesday shortly after water was restored and toilets began flushing again.
"It was the best sound I've ever heard," she said.
A temporary pump was installed Tuesday, and the town brought in a backup. The town was put on a boil alert, and National Honors Society high school students helped distributed the notices to impacted water users.
Rural Mancos water users were not affected. Water will be tested thoroughly before it is declared safe, and the state will test the water over the weekend, said Dickson.
For the first few days of restored service, the water will be discolored because of air in the system, and mineral deposits that will be knocked free from the pressure changes in the pipes, said Public Works Operator Robin Schmittel. It will also have a strong smell of chlorine to kill the bacteria in the water.
"You're going to smell it, but it won't harm you," he said.
Fire hydrants will be opened to purge the system Wednesday morning. This is normal procedure, and water is not being wasted. Large quantities of water will be released. Residents are advised to drive with care because of standing water.
To restore water, a new pump had to be brought in from California. It is scheduled to arrive and be installed Thursday.
Citizens at the town meeting on Tuesday voiced concern the town's backup system failed Sunday.
The town administrator said the town had learned a lot from the failure and will build more redundancies into the system.
She also said that the town will be following up with like Mancos Rural Water on agreements. These agreements would allow the town to share resources with other water agencies and help the town handle emergencies better.
The town is providing bottled water and a water tanker with potable water in front of town hall. Showers are available at the Cortez Recreation Center for $2.50 with proof of Mancos residency.
The town is supplying 5 gallons per person per day and three bottles per person per day. Town Hall hours have been extended to 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. for the duration of the emergency.
There were no estimates available on how much the water tanker and other emergency efforts might cost the town.
The water outage significantly disrupted activity, but some normalcy will return Wednesday when school reopens.
Superintendent Brian Hanson said that students would be using hand sanitizer instead of washing their hands, and the cafeteria would be providing food.
The schools and clinic were closed Monday and Tuesday.
Other major water users, like restaurants, were notified, and most of them closed. Water was delivered to the Mancos Valley Inn Nursing home.
There are about 30 portable potties set up throughout the town.
Residents were encouraged to turn off ice machines so the water isn't contaminated by nonpotable water, said Dickson. All ice should also be thrown out. Residents may turn on the pilot of their hot-water heater now that water is flowing, said Fire Chief Tony Aspromonte. Citizens were asked to turn them off during the outage to prevent cracking in the heaters.
At the meeting on Tuesday, Mike Shaw, a town resident, was hopeful safe water service would return before Monday.
His girlfriend was sick the day the town lost water, and he was struggling to care for her.
"It's been hectic, taking care of her and taking care of the water," he said.
The call for volunteers and donations was met with a community outpouring on Monday.
The Mancos Fire District, the Red Cross, Wal-mart and others donated water. Town volunteers delivered water to homebound individuals.
Gray Stecher, 10, and Eireland Fagan, 12, started volunteering at 6 a.m. at Town Hall and stayed most of the day filling jugs and helping people load water into cars.
Although most restaurants were closed Monday, the P&D Grocery Store was able to stay open after the health department gave it the clear to bring small containers of water filled at homes supplied by Mancos Rural Water, said Rob Kirks, a partner in the business.
He said bringing water in using small containers was time-consuming, but their employees made it possible.
"We've never closed for 40 years," Kirks said.
Residents who need help to move water are encouraged to call Town Hall at 533-7725.
Residents can call 533-1431 for a recording with updates.
mshinn@cortezjournal.com