A broken Benton County water main has been repaired after being damaged in a tanker crash, but a boil water advisory remains in place pending tests.
Utility crews have repaired a Camden water main damaged in a tanker truck crash, but much of Benton County remains under a boil water advisory.
About 10,000 City of Camden Water System customers have been under advisory to boil and conserve water since the break occurred around 5 p.m. Monday. Three passenger vehicles and a semi truck carrying a tank of chemicals collided on Highway 70 East. The tank, which contained more than 40,000 pounds of agricultural fertilizer anhydrous ammonia, separated from the truck and rolled down an embankment, damaging the water main.
A hazmat crew removed the tank around 3:15 a.m., according to City of Camden Water Department Superintendent John Beasley. There was no chemical spill from the tanker and the water system was not contaminated, he confirmed in a statement on social media.
Utility crews finished repairs to about 100 feet of the water main by 8 a.m. Wednesday. The utility has begun pumping water to its treatment plant and distribution system to re-pressurize the system, which will take several hours, Beasley wrote.
The boil advisory will continue until the system’s pressure is restored and samples can be collected and analyzed for bacterial contamination, and some parts of the system may need to be flushed to remove air. The utility will continue to monitor water tank levels throughout the day Wednesday.
Bottled water continues to be available to impacted customers at 190 Highway 641 North in Camden while the boil advisory remains in effect.