Water restrictions still in place in Woodstock, Royalton

Drinking water restrictions remain in parts of Royalton and Woodstock served by municipal water.

The Royalton Water Department’s boil-water order remains in effect. The turbidity level, a measure of particles suspended in the water, remains too high. Bottled water is available at the town offices for customers of the water company.

Woodstock remains under a “do not drink” order. Woodstock Aqueduct Co., the private firm that provides water to 800 customers from West Woodstock to the east end of Woodstock Village, is continuing to work on replacing a water pipe under the Elm Street Bridge, which also broke during flooding from Tropical Storm Irene.

The company estimated that the pipe replacement will take until the end of Wednesday. Water testing could then take place Thursday. With favorable test results Friday, the order could be lifted, the company said in a written statement.

The “do not drink” order stems from fears that the firehoses used to connect water lines under the Elm Street Bridge might contain PFAS, chemicals used in fire retardant that are known to cause cancer. The water company has been able to prove that the hoses have never had PFAS run through them, but plans to test for it “out of an abundance of caution.”

The town’s main fire station has bottled water available to the public.