The following letter was sent Aug. 22 to residents, businesses and community partners in Lewes.
On Aug. 20, Lewes Board of Public Works experienced a major water break with a complete loss of water pressure, disrupting service citywide. As your city manager, I want to reassure all of you that city leadership was and continues to be actively involved with assisting our partner BPW. We will continue to stay abreast of the progress until the issue is resolved and water service has been fully restored citywide.
Let me highlight a few of the key actions taken by the city to ensure public safety: The city pushed messaging of BPW’s Boil Water Notice and subsequent messaging. This was done through email blasts, Facebook postings and on the city website main page under News Flash. We closed all public restrooms and drinking water fountains. As water pressure began to rise, the city reopened most public restrooms. Portable restrooms were delivered and made available at Savannah and Johnnie Walker beaches. The beaches remain open.
On Wednesday, once the boil water notice was lifted, the city restored service to the water fountains located in 1812 Park, Canalfront Park, the Trailhead, Margaret H. Rollins Community Center, Zwaanendael Park, City Hall, Mary Vessels Park, Savannah Beach and Johnnie Walker Beach. The city will continue to push messaging sent by BPW through the same channels ... email blasts, posting to Facebook and through the city’s website.
We support BPW’s request asking you to consider minimizing and, possibly, suspending irrigating lawns and landscapes until BPW can stabilize water pressure citywide. Irrigation systems, when in use, reduce the pressure in the entire city water distribution system.
If you have any additional public concerns, please use the link on the city website to report a concern, question or comment so that we and the BPW can coordinate our responses.
Ellen Lorraine McCabe
Lewes city manager
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