BETHEL – Water district officials Wednesday lifted their order for residents to boil water, a requirement first issued Dec. 3.

Some of the Bethel Water District’s 560 customers, however, may notice “chalky” water in the next few days, but not to worry, said trustee Mike Broderick.

“It’s just air in the water as the system fills up,” he said. “It will get into the reservoir and get diluted. Some people may notice it for a day or two, and for some people who are farther out, it may not get there for a day or two.”

Broderick said the order was lifted after the district got one of its three new groundwater wellheads up and running. Water from the well tested negative for bacteria.

The district has been trying to revive its water system after a summer storm filled the town’s reservoir on Chapman Brook with tons of mud and debris.

By Dec. 3, a temporary 1,600-foot-long pipeline transporting replacement water from Chapman Brook had frozen in several places. Additionally, the district was using a backup supply that hadn’t been sanctioned by the state for use as drinking water.

The order to boil water, which didn’t affect western Bethel or people with private wells, instructed customers to boil it for five minutes before use, or to use bottled water. The order applied to water being used for consumption, such as drinking water, washing dishes, making ice, and food preparation.

The order was issued as a precaution.

Broderick said Wednesday the new well was providing 80 gallons per minute in tandem with two temporary wells that are providing a total of 60 gallons per minute. Once it’s fully operational, the new well will provide 100 gallons per minute.

A second well has been drilled and is scheduled for development, but a temporary pump house will remain in place until it and other infrastructure can be completed between now and summer.

A water conservation order was lifted Tuesday.

“Our plan now is to have three wells with the capacity to produce 100 gallons per minute each, and two more well sites to find in the property to allow for future expansion,” Broderick said.

The district has been working on wells at a permanent groundwater facility on North Road. It has completed a 2-mile-long, 12-inch pipe to connect the wells with the systems and that new water main is working fine, Broderick said.

“So people coming up to Bethel this weekend can look forward to having coffee and ice for their drinks,” he said.

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