UPDATE: Feb. 23.
After a service outage of about eight days, the Cascilla Water Association posted the following message on its Facebook page at about 10:27 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23.
"The water is flowing again! Thank you Ratliff Well Service!
"Just a reminder that we are under a BOIL WATER NOTICE due to loss of pressure system wide until our samples are cleared by the MS Health Department.
"There is still bottled water available at the Cascilla Fire Department if you need it to get by while we are under the boil water notice.
"System pressure will be low until the elevated tank is refilled but everyone should have water flowing by morning. Please report any water main leaks so that we can evaluate and prioritize the repair.
"We know of of a few repairs that will need to be made in the next few days. So, you may experience some temporary service interruptions, but they should be short in duration. Thank you in advance for you understanding.
"Sometime in the next few weeks there will be an interruption of service when we have to replace the temporary pump with the permanent replacement. Because we will be able to schedule this we will give advance notice through this page.
"Thank you to all of those that donated their time, heaters, propane, flush water, bottled water, and even food for those working to restore the water! Your efforts were greatly appreciated.
"Those that let us use your heaters or propane bottles can pick them up at the well house. I will try to be there tomorrow between 5:00 and 5:30 to make sure the door is unlocked for you."
Original Feb. 22, 2021, story:
CASCILLA — The Cascilla Water Association is telling customers that it may be Thursday, Feb. 25, before water service is fully restored to all of the approximately 800 customers served by the system.
The following was posted Sunday afternoon on the association's Facebook page:
"The well service has been able to start pulling our pump to determine everything that needs to [be] fixed. They have located a submersible pump and motor that we can rent while repairs are being made. The plan is to have the submersible onsite sometime on Monday. Installation and testing should be complete on Tuesday then with water flowing we can start locating and fixing any leaks on the mains.
"The system is completely empty of water. If we [are] able to start filling it on Tuesday, it may still be Thursday before everyone has water. We will also be under a boil water notice until the health department clears us.
"The fire departments are making flush water available in drop tanks [at] a couple of sites. Bring your own container and take all you need. Emergency management has bottled water available. Right now there is some left at Stonefield church and there is some at Cascilla fire department.
"If you know of someone that can't get out to get water let us know. We will do our best to get it to them as soon as possible."
The Cascilla water system has been down since Feb. 15, and association officials have said they believe the problem — a faulty well motor and/or pump — was initially caused by a power outage on that date.
The Tallahatchie County Emergency Management Agency has delivered several pallets of bottled water, and non-potable water has been made available by Cascilla and Rosebloom fire departments at the fire houses and other sites.
Non-potable water is not safe to drink or cook with, but it may be used to flush toilets and for other non-consummable needs.
On Feb. 17, the Cascilla Water Association posted the following notice to express appreciation for the outpouring of support in the wake of the water outage:
"The board wants to thank all those that have volunteered their time and materials to help during this crisis so far. There are just too many of you to start naming individuals because we would end up leaving somebody out. We could not have gotten to this point this quickly without your generosity and you are greatly appreciated!!"
For the very latest updates on the Cascilla Water Association, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Cascilla-Water-Association-100904631532988.
