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Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect that Teasdale was not affected by water contamination as previously reported.TORREY, Wayne County — A state of emergency has been declared for a small town in Wayne County dealing with water contamination issues for nearly a week, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality said Tuesday.
The declaration was issued for Torrey because the cost and magnitude of the water contamination exceed the county’s resources, the Department of Environmental Quality said. According to the declaration, a break in Torrey’s main waterline began around Thursday near the spring that feeds into the town’s water system.
The break in the line caused a stoppage of water to storage tanks to the town’s drinking water system and the system is out of water.
The DEQ also tweeted Tuesday that the small town of Teasdale, which is located roughly 5 miles southwest of Torrey, was also affected by water contamination. However, Dennis Hiskey, Teasdale's special service district president, said that Teasdale wasn't affected by the contamination and is safe to drink.
"We're only about 5 miles apart but our water systems but our water systems are completely separate from completely different springs on completely different mountains," he said.
Torrey officials issued an advisory Saturday because of bacterial contamination of the town’s water supply. Residents were asked to boil any water needed for drinking purposes until the problem is resolved.
In a Facebook post Monday, town officials said three water samples taken by the state engineer Saturday showed no bacteria in the water, but the boil order will remain in place until all pipes are fully fixed.
The town added that water from Loa and Fremont was going to be trucked up to the top of the system to speed up the repair process and that all restaurants have been ordered closed by a state health inspector. Convenience stores were being allowed to sell packaged goods.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
