Habersham County was one of those hardest hit by overnight flooding as a result of the remnants of Hurricane Delta, and in some cases it has compromised public water systems.
In Demorest, City Manager Kim Simonds has announced that all Demorest Water System customers should boil all water used for consumption (drinking or preparing baby formula) until further notice.
Demorest crews are working to restore water to areas where water pipes were washed out overnight, but Simonds said this is an emergency situation and work will take several days to complete.
Baldwin urges water conservation
Baldwin Mayor Joe Elam is asking users of that city’s water system to conserve whenever possible.
“Due to last night’s excessive flooding and its effect on the water systems in Habersham County, the City of Baldwin is asking all water customers to be as conservative as possible with water usage until further notice,” Elam said. “City crews are on site and are assisting other cities as well to correct this issue as quickly as possible.”
Elam said Baldwin water is safe and meets all drinking standards.
Clarkesville relying on elevated tanks
In Clarkesville, where more than 6.2 inches of rain fell, City Manager Keith Dickerson is asking water customers to conserve whenever possible over the coming days.
“Due to the heavy rainfall amounts and river levels, the water plant is unable to pump water from the river,” an alert issued by the city states. “The water system is currently using what is in the elevated storage tanks.”
Dickerson said the city’s water pumps were submerged by floodwaters and must be inspected before they can be used.
