All of St. Peters under boil water advisory, day after St. Charles issued one

“We issued a Water Conservation Order and a Boil Water Advisory because the situation has changed overnight,” city officials said on Friday.

ST. PETERS, Mo. — St. Peters on Friday issued a boil water advisory for everyone within city limits, a day after nearby St. Charles did the same.

A private contractor reportedly damaged a critical water interconnection pipeline on Thursday that is jointly owned by St. Charles and St. Peters, according to officials from both cities. The damage caused a significant loss of pressure in the pipeline, posing a risk of drinking water contamination in both cities. No contamination in either city has been confirmed.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Over 100K people in St. Charles and St. Peters under boil advisory and water conservation order through Sunday

5 On Your Side reached out to officials in St. Peters to clarify why the city didn’t issue a boil water advisory on Thursday when St. Charles did. A city spokeswoman provided the following statement:

“We issued a Water Conservation Order and a Boil Water Advisory because the situation has changed overnight.  Our focus is on water conservation.  The initial repairs are taking longer than originally anticipated and we experienced another water main break in St. Peters early this morning.  These two factors, plus the hot weather, are making it harder to maintain water pressure in our system.  This now makes it necessary for us to issue the Water Conservation Order and a Boil Water Advisory starting today.”

The city advises all residents planning to use water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, or preparing food should boil the water for at least three minutes and allow it to cool before use.

The city is also asking all residents and businesses to conserve water to maintain pressure in the system.

“Unfortunately, repairs to the pipeline are taking longer than expected and this is creating a challenge for keeping the water pressures at an essential level,” St. Peters officials said in a press release on Friday. “Out of an abundance of caution, we are issuing this advisory now and hope to have the repairs completed and water testing results back by the end of the weekend.  As soon as we receive notification of water safety, we will lift the boil water advisory.”