DUNKIRK, N.Y. — A water emergency has been declared for the City of Dunkirk.
The Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services is ordering all City of Dunkirk and North Chautauqua County Water District customers to conserve water until further notice.
Police posted on Facebook early Tuesday morning that the water main break happened in the area of Lake Shore Drive East and Deer Street. Lake Shore Drive East is currently closed from Central Avenue to Main Street. Many of the city's residents have no water or low water pressure.
Residents are being asked to limit laundry and showers and use paper and plastic serving ware to cut down on dishwashing. Industrial users and schools are being asked to shut down to conserve water as well.
If you do have water, you must boil it before using it. Once service is restored to those without, they must also boil their water or use bottled water for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth and making ice. You should bring water to a rolling boil for at least a minute and allow it to cool before using. The water can still be used for bathing and washing. This order applies to all residential and commercial customers.
Because water levels have been depleted, all non-essential water use must be stopped immediately, including that used for manufacturing and other industrial purposes.
The order is expected to be in place for the next several days.
The City of Dunkirk Fire Department is distributing bottled water at the Murphy training grounds, located at 665 Brigham Road, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
All surgeries and procedures at Brooks-TLC Hospital have been canceled for the day. Spokesperson Nancy Steves says the hospital is getting water brought into them by Culligan Water and Designer Pools of Fredonia and in-patient care is not being affected.
Also, all Chautauqua County operations at the Graf Building in Dunkirk will be closed Tuesday. This includes the Departments of Health and Human Services, Mental Hygiene and Probation. Public assistance clients with emergency needs can call the Jamestown office at 661-8200.
It's unclear at this time when the repair will be finished. There are approximately 13,000 people who live in the city.
Updates will be posted on the Chautauqua County and City of Dunkirk websites.