UPDATE 3:
Cameron's boil water noticed has been lifted as of July 29, according to a press release from the city.
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UPDATE 2: The City of Cameron said both major water repairs have been made. The towers were being re-filled with water, as of 4:30 p.m. City officials asked the public to conserve water, in order to allow the system to catch up. The boil water notice is in effect.
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UPDATE: The City of Cameron said repairs are expected to be completed before 5 p.m. After those repairs are made, water will begin flowing back into the water towers -- a process that officials said will take some time. Repair crews hope to have water restored to residents of Cameron by 9 p.m. Wednesday. Once the water is back, the boil water notice will be in place.
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The City of Cameron announced Wednesday it was draining two water towers due to two major water leaks.
The original break happened near W. 22nd Street and N. Karnes Avenue when a water line broke next to a nursing home, according to city officials. Crews had already been working on a water line fixture that was rusted when the fixture that connected two pipes broke apart and created a much larger leak, workers said. The leak -- combined with another 10-inch main break downtown -- led to the water outage.
Draining the towers would reduce water pressure, allowing the leaks to be repaired, the city said. But, in the meantime, officials said residents would be without water while the repairs were underway.
"The public water system officials will notify all customers once the water is turned back on," the city said in a statement.
Once the water does return, residents are instructed to boil it prior to consumption. Water should be vigorously boiled for two minutes then cooled before being used for drinking, cooking, ice-making or other consumption purposes.
Stores in Cameron ran out of bottled water Wednesday. Even by noon, Arlan's Market -- the local grocery store -ran out of large cases. And, despite trying to get more water, the earliest any could arrive was said to be Thursday. CVS said it was in a similar situation.
If you have any questions about the repairs or the boil water notice, please contact Cameron City Hall at 254-697-6646.