Ongoing Beaufort boil water advisory closes some downtown restaurants
All of downtown Beaufort was still under a boil water advisory Wednesday morning after a water main break the evening before, according to an official with the Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority.
The advisory will stay in place until BJWSA officials confirm the water is safe, Pamela Flasch, the agency’s communications manager, said Wednesday morning. She said a water sample has been sent to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and BJWSA officials hope to have more information by the afternoon.
Some restaurants in the affected areas that serve breakfast announced they’d be closed Wednesday due to the water main break including Lowcountry Produce Market and Cafe’s Beaufort location, Rain -N- Bagels, and Boundary Street Cafe, according to their Facebook pages. Magnolia Bakery Cafe and Garden Gift Gallery is not open for breakfast but will be open for lunch.
Other restaurants such as Q on Bay, WREN Bistro & Bar, and Hemingway’s Bistro told the Packet on Wednesday that they planned to stay open and boil water or bring in water and ice from an outside source while the advisory is in place.
The areas affected include all of downtown Beaufort from the County Office Building on Ribaut Road to Carteret Street and through Pigeon Point; to Bay Street and the Old Point, an earlier news release said. The boil water advisory means residents need to “boil their water before using for drinking, cooking or dishwashing,” the release said.
A private contractor not affiliated with BJWSA hit a waterline Tuesday, and DHEC requires water utilities issue a boil water advisory as a precaution when an event occurs that could allow bacteria into the water system, the release said. The contractor will be responsible for all costs associated with the repairs, Flasch said.
The water will also be off next Tuesday from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the area of 895 Ribaut Road due to a fire hydrant replacement, a news release from BJWSA said.
This story will be updated.
This story was originally published January 9, 2019 at 9:32 AM.
