City Grapples With Boil Order, Power Outage

A temporary boil water order and a widespread power outage caused by severe weather disrupted utility services in Olney last week, though both situations were resolved within days and officials reported no lasting impacts to public safety.

The first incident occurred June 17, when the City of Olney issued a boil water notice after an electrical problem at one of its pump stations caused a loss of pressure in part of the City’s water distribution system.

According to Public Works Director Michael Jacoba, state regulations require a boil water notice whenever water pressure drops below acceptable levels.

“TCEQ requires us to do a boil order whenever we lose pressure in the pipes,” Jacoba said. “There was an electrical problem at the pump station and the pressure dropped.”

Although city crews quickly restored service, Jacoba said he knew some customers had temporarily lost water and decided to take additional precautions.

“I knew there were customers who did not have water, so I took the precaution of sending it to the Red River Authority of Texas in Wichita Falls to test a water sample,” he said.

Three bacteriological samples were collected and tested. All three came back negative for E. coli and other contamination indicators.

Following the testing, the City rescinded the boil water notice on June 18.

In a statement posted on the City’s Facebook page, officials said crews restored normal system pressure, flushed affected portions of the water distribution system, verified disinfectant residuals and collected special bacteriological samples showing the water was safe for consumption.

The water issue was followed less than 48 hours later by a significant power outage during a line of severe thunderstorms that moved through Young County early Friday morning.

Heavy rain, frequent lightning and strong winds accompanied the storm system, which struck the area around 3 a.m. June 19.

According to PowerOutage. com, approximately 800 customers served by Fort Belknap Electric Cooperative lost power during the outage. Electricity was restored around 6 a.m., resulting in roughly three hours without service for many residents.

The outage temporarily darkened much of Olney and interrupted overnight air conditioning and household operations, but no major injuries or property damage were reported.

While the two incidents were unrelated, they created an unusual week for local utilities and highlighted the vulnerability of critical infrastructure during severe weather events.

City officials emphasized that Olney’s drinking water remained safe throughout the boil water event once testing was completed, and electrical service was restored quickly following the storm.