City of Asheville Issues a System Wide Boil Water Notice

Updated on: Fri Oct 18th, 2024 at 04:00 PM

The City of Asheville Water Resources Department has issued a Boil Water Notice for all City of Asheville water customers due to loss of pressure in distribution system pipes and levels of turbidity (particles) in the water.

A Boil Water Notice means there is contamination due to impacts from Hurricane Helene including the potential for untreated water in the distribution system from pipe breaks and levels of turbidity that exceed Safe Drinking Water Act standards initially used to restore water pressure. Your water may look cloudy and/or have a chlorine odor. 

It is REQUIRED for customers to vigorously boil tap water for 1 minute before consuming it. Once laboratory testing of the system confirms the possibility of risk is not present, customers will receive notification that the boil water notice has been lifted via the same method you received this notice.

FAQ

Where can customers go to get information?

For further information, please call 828-251-1122, or visit the City of Asheville’s Water Services Recovery page

What can I use the water for?

Water can be used for flushing toilets and laundry. Water can be used for bathing, although water that has been boiled and cooled or otherwise purified is recommended for those with open wounds and those who are immunocompromised. During bathing, please monitor small children to ensure they do not accidentally drink the water. Infants can be given sponge baths.

Water can also be used for basic hygiene like washing hands, but not for home or commercial food preparation.

How should I approach washing dishes?

If possible, use disposable plates, cups, bowls, and flatware.

Using a dishwasher

If your dishwasher has a sanitizing cycle or reaches a final rinse temperature of at least 170°F (76°C), you can use it. Check your dishwasher’s manual or contact the manufacturer to confirm.

Hand-washing dishes

Wash and rinse dishes using hot water, then soak them in a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented bleach per gallon of warm water for at least one minute. Allow the dishes to air dry completely before using them again.

What to do before water service returns?

  1. Flip off the breaker to your water heater. 
  2. Turn off water to your water heater. 
  3. Turn off hot water under your sinks. 
  4. Remove aerator (it typically unscrews) on faucets. 
  5. Turn off the ice maker.
  6. Turn off water to your whole house filter, if you have one.

What to do when your water service returns?

  1. Flush your home plumbing by running the bathtub’s cold water faucet.
  2. Your water heater may be turned back on once your home’s plumbing has been flushed.

It’s safe to flush your toilet after completing steps 1 and 2. Water Resources thanks our customers for your patience while we work to repair out catastrophically damaged water system.

What should I do once the notice is lifted?

Customers are advised to wait 2-3 hours, then flush only the cold water lines for 10-15 minutes. If discolored water or air is still present, please call customer service at 828-251-1122.


Water Quality

View the 2023 Water Quality Report, which is also available translated into Spanish, Ukrainian, and Russian

Learn more about the City of Asheville’s source, treatment steps, and water quality.

A note about Manganese:

Manganese is naturally present in the reservoirs that serve Asheville and Buncombe County. Manganese is an essential nutrient; it is recommended to receive 2 to 5 mg/day for adults and 0.3 to 0.6 mg/day for infants. A US EPA reviewed study has shown that manganese levels below 0.17 mg/L in drinking water showed no-adverse-health-effect-level (NOAEL). During normal operation, the manganese level of City of Asheville water stays well below our Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL) of 0.05 mg/L. During discolored water events, manganese levels could temporarily exceed the 0.17 mg/L NOAEL. The US EPA Lifetime Health Advisory (HA) for manganese is 0.3 mg/L (for a 22 pound child consuming 1 Liter of water per day, the 1 day & 10 day Health Advisory is 1.0 mg/L). However, it is advised that for infants younger than 6 months, the lifetime HA of 0.3 mg/L be used even for an acute exposure of 10 days.


View laboratory results for discolored water calls and special samples

2024 laboratory results

2023 laboratory results

 December 2022- January 2023 outage event

2022 laboratory results 

Read frequently asked questions regarding discolored water.

See guidelines for customers who experience discolored water.


Advisories and Outages

Frequently Asked Questions regarding Boil Water Advisories and Notices.

Notice: While the information below is frequently refreshed, it may not always be updated in real time. To be notified immediately of advisories or outages in your area, register with AVL Alert!

AVL ! ALERT

To view older advisories or outages, please visit the Boil Water Advisory Historical Information document

This document is for a Boil Water Advisory. For a Boil Water Notice, the Buncombe County Health Department may have additional requirements. View Buncombe County Health Department’s information on Boil Water Advisories for the Food Service Industry.


Contact Information

For information about any boil advisory or outage, you may contact:

Customer Services
828-251-1122
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday

Water Maintenance
828-259-5975
8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday