Ennis

Ennis to close schools for second straight day as boil water notice continues

The city says water pressure is restored citywide after multiple main breaks on Saturday night, but concerns of bacterial contamination persist

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The Ennis community remains under a boil water notice after multiple water main breaks over the weekend.

Ennis schools will be closed for the second straight day as the city works to make its water supply safe again.

City officials said as of Monday afternoon, water pressure was restored to all areas that lost service. It came after seven city water pipes broke due to the cold, prompting a citywide boil water notice that has been in effect since early Sunday morning.

“We’ve just been making it one day at a time,” said Tena Duke, an Ennis resident.

Some neighborhoods east of I-45 got their water back this afternoon.

“Flushing the toilet was the big issue, and not being able to take a shower,” said Duke.

With the water flowing again, it still needed to be tested and declared safe to drink.

Several Ennis restaurants remained shut down since Sunday due to concerns of bacterial contamination in the water.

On Monday, other businesses were trying to make it work.

Clyde’s bar reopened on Monday night – only serving bottled drinks, buying ice cubes, and using plastic cups because they couldn’t wash the dishes.

Ennis businesses said it’s been a stressful end to the Thanksgiving week.

“It slows down the business,” said Leticia Dominguez, a Clyde’s employee. “People really can’t eat or drink out here so you’ve got to make sure to cook at home right now.”

Ennis ISD canceled classes on Monday for the boil water notice, announcing that schools would be closed again on Tuesday as the district waits for the situation to improve.

The city said the largest water main break by I-45 had been fixed and there was only one leak left to repair.

The Ennis mayor told NBC 5 that addressing the city’s aging infrastructure was a priority for him moving forward.

“I’ve been here 18 years, and this has never happened,” said Duke. “But like I said, it could happen anywhere.”

The city said it sent water samples to a lab to test the quality and should have the results by Tuesday evening. If it passes, Ennis will lift the boil water notice immediately.

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