'How Long?' Purcell Residents Demand Answers As City Works To Restore Water To Rural Homes

Some Purcell residents suffered nearly a week without water.

As of Thursday afternoon, about 100 homes remained affected. City officials blamed cracks in the piping, but they said they addressed those issues 

The city said they fixed those cracks over the past three days. However, they need a water supply to replenish to reset the pressure. Some residents said the days pass and their faucets remain empty. 

People spend holidays together with plenty of conversations. Celebration was in short supply on Independence Day, along with another necessity at Tony Jones’s home.  

“No water,” said Jones, who lives in rural Washington outside Purcell. 

Jones's faucets have been dry since Monday. “It’s very frustrating,” said Penny Jones, Tony Jones’s wife. 

Neighbor Tamra Martin wanted better communication from city leaders. “I am not finding this to be a fun process to go through,” Martin said. 

Jones said the issues piled up over the week. “The sanitary issue that comes with having no water creeps up on you really fast,” Jones said. 

 They said they’ve received limited information from Purcell; the city that supplies their water. “Something’s not working,” Jones said.  

Purcell city manager Sam Demel said they’ve repaired the damage to the pipes leading to Jones’s neighborhood. 

“We had five leaks over the last two days,” Demel said. “A hundred homes are affected right now.” 

Demel said they’ve told residents to conserve water to restore pressure in the water system. He said this allows water to make it back into rural communities. Demel also said crews are looking for further damage to water infrastructure. 

"We’re trying to get on top of it,” Demel said. 

Demel’s staff provided water for residents at the Purcell Multi-Purpose Center and plans to do so until the water is restored.