The (Huntington) Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON -- Water was fully restored to customers in Huntington early Saturday morning, but a boil water advisory was expected to remain in effect until this morning at least, if not longer.

West Virginia American Water spokesperson Kelly Gillenwater said Saturday morning that it would be at least 24 hours until the advisory could be lifted, pending the results of water sampling.

This also impacts about 3,500 customers in Ohio American Water's Lawrence District, which includes Chesapeake and South Point.

Some 60,000 Huntington-area residents are affected by the advisory, which came as the result of a major water line break in the area of 24th Street and 1st Avenue around 6:30 Friday evening.

The city of Huntington enacted its emergency response plan, and the Huntington Fire Department handed out thousands of cases of bottled water Saturday morning and planned to continue to disperse water at its Centennial Station on 7th Avenue and 9th Street until it was gone.

Kroger donated four tractor-trailer loads of water, which had to be driven in from its Bluefield, W.Va., distribution center.

Interim Fire Chief Tim Provaznik said on-duty firefighters unloaded the trucks and handed out the water to residents, who formed a convoy of vehicles that lined 7th Avenue from 9th to 10th streets, starting before 8:30 a.m.

The (Huntington) Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON -- Water was fully restored to customers in Huntington early Saturday morning, but a boil water advisory was expected to remain in effect until this morning at least, if not longer.

West Virginia American Water spokesperson Kelly Gillenwater said Saturday morning that it would be at least 24 hours until the advisory could be lifted, pending the results of water sampling.

This also impacts about 3,500 customers in Ohio American Water's Lawrence District, which includes Chesapeake and South Point.

Some 60,000 Huntington-area residents are affected by the advisory, which came as the result of a major water line break in the area of 24th Street and 1st Avenue around 6:30 Friday evening.

The city of Huntington enacted its emergency response plan, and the Huntington Fire Department handed out thousands of cases of bottled water Saturday morning and planned to continue to disperse water at its Centennial Station on 7th Avenue and 9th Street until it was gone.

Kroger donated four tractor-trailer loads of water, which had to be driven in from its Bluefield, W.Va., distribution center.

Interim Fire Chief Tim Provaznik said on-duty firefighters unloaded the trucks and handed out the water to residents, who formed a convoy of vehicles that lined 7th Avenue from 9th to 10th streets, starting before 8:30 a.m.

"We'll do this until we run out of water," he said after about 40 minutes and two truckloads were gone. "Then it's over. We'll do what we can for the community."

Last January, the city faced a similar situation when a contractor hit a major water line on 6th Avenue that caused city customers to be without water for about three days. Businesses and schools closed, and a boil water advisory was in effect for some time.

Provaznik said this event was on a much lesser scale because the water line was fixed so quickly and the warm weather is easier to deal with than the cold of January.

"This is much better because it isn't winter time, but the public need is still the same," he said. "Shortly after the water main break, we knew from previous experience this would be a major event. "

Residents and businesses alike were affected throughout the Huntington area, with reports of some restaurants and bars closing early Friday.

Some still had to make adjustments Saturday. At the McDonald's on Washington Avenue, customers couldn't order orange juice and were being sold Coke and Sprite that was poured from two-liter bottles.

West Virginia American Water is asking customers to boil water until further notice. Customers are asked to bring water used for drinking, cooking, bathing and brushing teeth to a full boil for a minimum of one minute, then cool before use.