By Jesse Jones, The Indy — The Village of Tijeras returned a well taken offline months ago over PFAS concerns to service after another well unexpectedly failed, prompting officials to advise residents to use bottled water for drinking and cooking.
On Thursday, Well 1, the village’s primary water source, unexpectedly failed around 11:34 a.m., according to a public notice. Officials brought Well 3 back online to maintain water service and fire protection while crews made emergency repairs, temporarily reversing Mayor Jake Bruton’s earlier decision to take the well offline after PFAS testing found elevated levels of the “forever chemical” in the water system serving more than 700 East Mountain residents.
According to the notice, residents can safely use water from Well 3 for bathing, showering, laundry, dishwashing and other household uses because PFAS are not readily absorbed through the skin. As an added precaution, the village said residents should use bottled water for drinking, cooking and food preparation until Well 1 is repaired.
Crews are treating the repair of Well 1 as an emergency. The village said it will take Well 3 offline again once Well 1 is restored and will notify residents when normal service resumes. Well 3 was drilled as a backup after Well 1’s capacity began declining and previously required about $25,000 in repairs. As of publication, repairs to Well 1 were still underway. Residents should check with the village for the latest updates.