City of Bardstown continues asking people to conserve water as it works to fix 'water shortage emergency'

BARDSTOWN, Ky. (WDRB) -- The city of Bardstown continued Thursday asking residents to conserve water usage in response to an "emergency" that impacted treatment capabilities and supply to consumers.

The city declared a "water shortage emergency" Wednesday evening, citing a "weather-related equipment failure" at the Bardstown Water Treatment Plant that caused a reduction in its ability to treat water for delivery.

"The cold water and this pipe — it just happened to find that one weak spot and it broke the pipe," Bardstown City Administrator Aaron Boles said Thursday.

Snow was still on the ground Thursday outside the Bardstown Water Treatment Plant, the result of frigid temperatures that officials said are to blame for the equipment failure. Boles said the broken pipe in the basement caused flooding at the facility.

"It proceeded the fill the entire basement portion of our water treatment plant with almost 12 feet of water," he said. "In doing so, it submerged – we have four pumps that help distribute water out into our system – it proceeded to submerge two of those pumps."

Boles said the pipe was repaired by 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, and by around noon that day, water had been pumped out of the basement. But as of Thursday afternoon, the system isn't back to full function just yet.

Boles said best-case scenario for a complete fix would be Thursday night.

"... if those pumps are serviceable and can be turned back on, we should be able to really bring the system back to a full status basically by this evening," Boles said. "If not, then we're still going to be — not in a shortage emergency situation — but we're still going to be struggling to keep up production," Boles said.

Boles said it was around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday when city officials started noticing that tank levels were dropping faster than they could be refilled.

"That's just due to people coming home from work, starting to take a shower, they're cooking dinner, running a dishwasher, running washing machines and washing clothes, things like that," he said. "That demand on the system was drawing those tanks down at a rate that we weren't comfortable with."

Officials are asking for all non-essential water uses to be reduced for the time being. In a brief update Thursday, the city said the call for measured consumption extends to industries, businesses and all homes.

"The water is still safe to drink, but we urgently request your cooperation in conserving water," the city said in a Facebook post.

Dakota Hoskins, who owns two Safari Falls car washes in town, said a city official called around 2 p.m. Wednesday asking him to close. The same was done for other car washes around the city, he said, disrupting a busy time of the year with salt on the roads.

"It was really unfortunate to have to close right now," Hoskins said Thursday. "They've asked us to close through Sunday. They are hopeful the situation gets better and we can open sooner."

Safari Falls Car Wash in Bardstown was closed Thursday due to a water shortage in the city. Jan. 18, 2024. *(WDRB Photo)*

Four Roses said in a written statement Thursday that its Bardstown distillery hasn't been impacted because most of its water comes from Anderson County. Rachel Nally, Heaven Hill's director of environment and sustainability said in a statement that it is taking steps to limit its water usage.

"Heaven Hill is working with the City of Bardstown to ensure water is available for essential city services," she said. "We are actively taking steps to minimize Heaven Hill's water usage during this time across our bottling and Visitor Center facilities."

Boles said people can still drip their faucets to combat the freezing temperatures if they feel the need, and homeowners shouldn't see a disruption with service.

"What we're just asking is that people be aware of what they're using and try to cut back as much as possible," he said.

The city posted tips to conserve water on its Facebook page in an update Thursday, including:

Turn off the faucet while brushing teeth
Take shorter showers
Fix leaks in faucets, showerheads, and toilets
Only wash full loads of dishes or clothes

Boles said there is not a need for a boil water advisory. In an update from the city late Thursday afternoon, it asks the public to continue conserving water overnight.

"If our efforts continue in a positive trajectory during this time, we anticipate a return to normal water usage status tomorrow morning," the city said.

An additional update is expected early Friday.

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