Van Buren residents experiencing low to no water pressure Friday

VAN BUREN -- Due to repairs ongoing at Fort Smith's Lee Creek Water Treatment Plant, parts of north Van Buren were without water Friday.

A boil order was issued by the Arkansas Department of Health for residents north of Interstate 40 Friday due to contamination in the water system as repairs were ongoing.

Areas had low to no water pressure, said Van Buren Utilities Director Steve Dufresne.

Van Buren buys water from Fort Smith, and is one of Fort Smith's biggest customers, Dufresne said.

But new parts had to be ordered for a breakdown at the Lee Creek plant and repairs and total water restoration service could take until Aug. 12 for Fort Smith and Van Buren customers.

Fort Smith city officials urged residents to conserve water until repairs are made.

Read more:Fort Smith residents asked to conserve water

The northside of Van Buren is most affected by the Lee Creek plant breakdown, Dufresne said.

The City of Van Buren has a storage reservoir, but the supply is being depleted quickly.

So, Van Buren residents are asked to conserve water usage.

The recent rains have helped the drought situation, he said.

"If we could get some more rain it would help," Dufresne said.

Restrictions in place in Van Buren and Fort Smith follow:

People are asked not to use water to such an extent as to allow water to escape from his premises onto public property, such as alleys or streets, nor onto another person's property.

Residents should refrain from watering lawns, shrubs, plants, trees, and gardens except by handheld hose and limit watering to the minimum amounts necessary to sustain plant life. All lawn and turf watering from city sources is prohibited.

 Washing motor vehicles, trailers, airplanes, or boats should be cut back but this does not include commercial car washes and licensed dealerships, but we ask they use as little water as possible.

People are asked not to fill swimming pools or fountains, wash building exteriors, the news release states.

The use of water from fire hydrants at any time for construction purposes, fire drills, or routine hydrant testing is prohibited. Only non-potable water may be used for dirt compaction, earth moving operations, or street base course construction, the news release states.

Golf course watering and other commercial irrigation from city sources shall be done only to the extent necessary to preserve turf and other plant life. Golf courses are permitted to water only greens and tee boxes from city sources. Golf course fairway and rough watering and school football and baseball field watering from city sources is specifically prohibited.