BLUETOWN – A boil water advisory is in effect until further notice for residents in Los Indios, Bluetown and surrounding areas.

Military Highway Water Supply Company customers are being asked to boil any water used for cooking, drinking or making ice. The company said they won’t be lifting the advisory until at least Tuesday.

For some residents that means extra money out of their pocket to get potable water.

“We use (water) for everything, coffee, food – everything,” Blanca Hernandez, who works at a small restaurant in Los Indios, said.

Hernandez said the water coming out of the faucets was different on Friday.

“It’s a little dirty. That’s what’s wrong with it, so we’re not using it for cooking,” she said.

The woman said they hadn’t been notified about the boil water advisory that was issued. She mentioned the trips to purchase water from the mill will become more frequent for her.

“I’ll go get six to eight jugs of water at about a $1 apiece. That’s what they usually cost,” Hernandez said.

General manager for the water company, Ramon Rosales Jr., said on Thursday a water pipe broke, decreasing water pressure below the state standard. He said pipes can break if the ground is too wet or too dry.

The extreme dip in water pressure automatically calls for a boil water advisory for residents potentially affected, as required by the state.

Customers in Los Indios, Bluetown and those living south of Rangerville Road are asked to boil the water first before drinking it or cooking with it. It’s to eliminate any potential bacteria that may have been caused by the dip in water pressure.

Mariana Gomez in Bluetown had just finished washing a batch of clothes when she found out about the boil water advisory. She said she’s not too concerned.

“It’s fine. We don’t use the water from the faucet to cook anyway. We use it just to shower,” she said.

Gomez also won’t drink the water from the faucet. She doesn’t trust it’s safe to drink.

Rosales said crews will be collecting water samples on Monday, which will be sent for testing in an Austin lab.

The advisory will remain in effect, as mandated by law, until those results are reviewed and cleared.

The Military Highway Water Supply Company has had previous violations with the state.

In 2016, they had at least five different violations, which they were mandated to notify customers about.

• Jan. 20 – Improper lead and copper testing
• Aug. 2 – Exceeding arsenic levels
• Oct. 12 – Exceeding levels of trihalomethanes
• Oct. 12 – Exceeding levels of arsenic.
• Dec. 29 – Exceeding levels of arsenic.

The company also had four boil water advisories and four other violations in 2015.