Water Problems in Bedford County

Three thousand residents in Bedford County are being asked to boil their drinking water.

The small town of Wartrace issued an advisory Tuesday after a routine daily test of the city’s water source showed high turbidity levels. That means there’s a greater chance of bacteria growing in the water and contaminating it.

Mayor Don Gallagher places the blame on the weather, and not a sewage problem, as has been rumored among the town’s residents.

“We experienced a hard rain storm Monday night. When the operator checked the turbidity level on Tuesday morning, it was spiking high. Our sewer plant is located in the town of Wartrace. The spring where we get our water is about five miles south of Wartrace. So they’re not even in the same proximity.”

The Mayor says the advisory will be in effect at least through Friday. Schools and residents, including those in nearby Bell Buckle, are supposed to boil any water they intend to drink for at least one minute.