Boil water, Altheimer customers told

A contractor who was drilling in Altheimer hit a water line on Wednesday causing the city to issue a boil order, according to a city official.

Mayor Zola Hudson said the contractor was drilling for the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality when the line was struck, causing a drop in pressure.

“That’s my understanding,” Hudson said Thursday.

Hudson said the city’s 700 or so residents still have water coming out of their taps, but until the water is deemed safe to drink by the state Health Department, the boil order will stay in place and residents will have to rely on bottled water. Hudson said she wasn’t sure how long it will take to fix the problem.

Jefferson County officials delivered several pallets of bottled water to the town, as did Saracen Casino Resort.

Carlton Saffa, chief market officer with the casino, said he was happy to help out when the call came in about the problem.

“Helping our neighbors is what makes Arkansas such a special place,” Saffa said. “Our team didn’t hesitate when asked to help our neighbors to the north. We had 5,300 bottles on-site within an hour of hearing the news.”