BELLE — A slew of water main breaks and well issues in Belle since July 3 resulted in a boil advisory on Friday through the weekend that was lifted around 1:40 p.m. on Tuesday.

The city notified the public between noon and 12:30 p.m. on July 8 on its City of Belle Facebook page that the boil advisory was in effect. By 12:30 p.m., the post was removed. There was a July 5 Facebook post on the city’s page that noted the water main break at the intersection of Alvarado Avenue and Second Street. A few community members asked if a boil order was in effect, but received no answer until Monday afternoon after the city deleted its July 8 advisory notice.

Belle Mayor James (Pudd) Mitchell said at noon on July 8 that a boil advisory notice had not been posted at City Hall or on the city’s Facebook page or website. However, he felt enough people had called City Hall about the water issue on July 5 that they managed to get the word out.

“It’s not an order,” he said. “It’s if you want to boil fine, if you don’t you don’t have to.” He added that the Well 1 was doing a good job at keeping up with water needs. However, during the July 5 water main break, the tower went below 20 percent full, the marker for a boil advisory according to Mitchell.

Our tower is full now,” Mitchell said. “We’ve been running the other well on manual to maintain a safe water level. When we had the water main break on Friday we dropped below 20 percent and had a boil advisory. Clay (Ridenhour) took water samples to Jefferson City today (Monday). We will get a report back on them — probably not until tomorrow or Wednesday.”

On July 5, Mitchell said that the city’s infrastructure problems are increasing.

“The Water main break between Second Street and Alvarado, we found it (Friday morning) when Clay (Ridenhour, public works employee) come in,” Mitchell said. “He went out to check the wells. I went to meet Flynn Drilling Company around 7 a.m. (at Well 3 by the new water tower) when Clay come in to go out there and said ‘you better go by the eye doctor’s office. There’s a water main break on Main Street.’”

Alderman Steve Vogt met with the commercial well company instead.

Mitchell said to find the breaks, they usually have to chase the lines until they notice water.

“The main thing is when you got a water leak you gotta chase,” he said.

They followed the lines and started digging where they thought the leaks were.

“You get a vision of it, and we seen a spot there eight to 10 foot long,” Mitchell said. “We sawed down. Dug down and had water, then had to take the whole dang thing out anyway four foot deep by four foot wide, about 35 feet long.”

By Friday afternoon, the crew were finishing up and refilling the hole.

“The main thing is we worked together as a team and got it took care of,” Mitchell said.

Part of the problem is the pipes in that area are mostly cast iron and need to be replaced.

“Water rates are coming, they’re fixing to come up or we’re not goin’ to survive,” Mitchell stressed. “Our water rates are so low we can’t even apply for grants. They ain’t going to give us money if we don’t have enough money to fix it.”

Rep. Bennie Cook, R, 143 District, added $1 million into the state legislative budget for the city of Belle’s water infrastructure issues. Though the money won’t fix everything, it will help the city get started.

“The million-dollar deal we got,” Mitchell confirmed. “I doubt if a million will pay for everything, but I think we need to start here on Alvarado before they decide to replace Highway 89. Go to a six-inch line or step up to an eight-inch and we’d have everything on Alvarado fixed. But we’re talking a lot of money and a big mess.”

Mitchell said he wants to correlate with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) when they want to repave Highway 89 so the city isn’t tearing something up and replacing it before the state is scheduled to come.

“This line here needs to be upgraded,” he said about Alvarado Avenue water lines. “We need to get it done. It’s gonna settle some. All the water lines for these buildings are attached to this main.”

Since the beginning of the year, the city has had at least three water main breaks within a three-block radius of Alvarado Avenue and Second Street.

On Sunday, there was another water main break near J&J’s Flying Cafe.

“I was out of town,” Mitchell said on Monday. “By the time I got back they had the hole opened up and found where it was and got it patched and everything back together.”