Hamilton looks forward after shutdown of water treatment plant

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Communities across Central Alabama have been dealing with several straight days of heat and one community was even in danger of running out of water.

The city of Hamilton resumed treating water around 7 p.m. Friday evening, more than 24 hours after operations were halted because of mud in the Buttahatchee River. It's the area's only source of drinking water. The temporary shutdown created a whole new set of problems for firefighters as they were already dealing with intense heat.

"The thought of opening up a fire hydrant and not being able to get water out of it is a little bit frightening, not only for us, but for our citizens," Hamilton assistant fire Chief Matt McCracken said.

Citizens were faced with their own challenges as well while the treatment plant was closed.

"This temperature out here is very hot, so just being out and about trying to get the water, that's a concern for everybody's health," Hamilton resident and business owner Makayla Milushi said.

Mayor Bob Page told WVTM 13 on Saturday afternoon that almost every house in Hamilton now has running water again, calling it a miracle.

"We were quickly running out of water here in Hamilton," Page said. "And very disappointed we couldn't serve our customers, as well as our rural customers we provide water for also."

The city of Hamilton posted on social media on Saturday, letting residents know the water supply is now safe for showers. However, people are asked to keep boiling the water they drink.

"We're going to get it all solved and it'll be better," Page added.

The mayor and other leaders say a broken dam on private property resulted in the muddy river, which forced the treatment plant to close for a time.