Southlake’s water supply runs dry after notice to boil water from its supplier, Fort Worth

Southlake’s water supply ran dry Tuesday afternoon after the city had difficulties obtaining water from its primary supplier, the city of Fort Worth, which earlier in the day had advised residents of Southlake and other area cities to boil their water.

In an alert sent to residents at approximately 5 p.m., Southlake Fire Chief Michael Starr said the city’s tanks had lost significant pressure over the course of the day. He advised that residents should use bottled water and that any water able to be obtained from taps needed to be boiled before use.

Starr indicated that the city had brought in “alternative water sources” to help with firefighting needs.

Southlake was waiting on Fort Worth to restore water delivery and then had to test the water and flush the system before it could once again supply water to its own residents. There was no estimated timetable for the resumption of service. In his alert, Starr said he would provide another update on Wednesday.

“Crews in Fort Worth and Southlake are working very hard and we are optimistic we can re-establish service soon,” Starr wrote.

Southlake is one of nine cities that buys drinking water from Fort Worth and was notified of the boil water recommendation Tuesday, along with Keller, where the water supply also ran short Tuesday afternoon. City officials said service was being restored Tuesday evening and that residents should open their faucets to allow air out of the system and help the process go faster.

The boil water notice for all the cities remained in place while tests were run to determine the bacteria level in the water.