Trouble with water in Bolungarvík
Machines and tools for cleaning on Hnífsdalsvegur Road this morning. mbl.is/Halldór Sveinbjörnsson
It is not recommended that residents of Bolungarvík use water as the drinking water is contaminated by soil due to excessive rain.
Jón Páll Hreinsson, mayor of Bolungarvík, tells mbl.is that the water treatment plant cannot handle the large amount of water that has been there and that it is not possible to clean it as it stands. It is therefore not recommended that people use water for the production of food or for drinking.
All food businesses closed
"All the food companies in town are closed today and we ask people not to use the water from the tap," Hreinsson says to mbl.is. He says that this situation is of course bad for all parties.
Asked if it is possible to get water in tankers to the town, he says:
"We would never be able to run water in tankers." It would be an unsustainable project," says the mayor.
The water is very muddy
Hreinsson hopes that it will be possible to put the water treatment plant to use later today. He says that the town's workers have been working all night to keep the station running, but the water is very muddy and the water supply system is not designed for these conditions.
"We have been building a new water supply for two years, which is to be opened in December, so it would have been good if it had been ready. It will have large storage tanks that store water and will be enough for all towns and businesses for one whole day. On a day like this, we would be ready with a supply of water that would last the whole day."
He also says that they drilled for water this summer and found potable water from boreholes that will be connected to the new water supply. According to him, it is pouring rain in Bolungarvík at the moment.
Closed for water at Flateyri
On the website of Ísafjarðarbær, it is stated that the water at Flateyri will be closed today while the water source is being cleaned after the night's landslides. It is uncertain when it will be possible to open the water again, but residents will be notified. It is stated that if the closure drags on for a long time, a tanker truck with potable water will be sent over to Flateyri.
