Major leak causes loss of water service in Onancock

The Town of Onancock suffered a water outage on Sunday due to a significant leak under the Ames Street bridge. In a Facebook post shared Sunday morning, the town stated, “There is a town-wide water outage. A significant leak under the Ames Street bridge is draining the water tower. Water service will return as soon as we isolate the leak. We are fixing it as rapidly as possible.”

By approximately 3 p.m. on Sunday, the town issued a Boil Water Advisory, citing sustained low water pressure as the reason for the precautionary measure.

In the advisory, town officials clarified:
“We have implemented a Boil Water Advisory. This is not because of contamination but because the water pressure (PSI) fell below 15 for a sustained period.

The leak that took place under the Ames Street bridge was severe and was not completely repaired. Your Public Works department borrowed a boat, stood in the ice and mud, and got drenched fixing the water as best as they could. The original line from when Mount Prospect was provided water service leaked in three places. The leaks were bad enough to drain the tower, which is why your water pressure was so low.

Boil water for one minute before you consume it, and please do this for 48 hours until we can perform all the purification tests.”

As of 6 a.m. Monday, there has been no update confirming that water service has been fully restored in Onancock.