St. Helens Water Shutoff in Riverfront District and Adjacent Areas October 28, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 23, 2024

St. Helens, Ore. - A water shutoff in the St. Helens Riverfront District and adjacent residential areas will occur on Monday, October 28, 2024, to make critical repairs to a 12-inch watermain at the Cowlitz Street and South 1st Street intersection.

Two failing water valves were recently discovered at the intersection on Friday, October 18 which required an emergency water shut off to make repairs to the water line. The valves are failing due to their age and need to be replaced before concrete is poured at the intersection as part of the Streets and Utilities Extension Project. If the valves are not replaced now, it could lead to a future failure of the line. The water shutoff is necessary to replace the two valves.

The water shutdown will begin at approximately 7 a.m. Repairs are anticipated to take until 4 p.m. to complete.

Impacted streets include:

• Strand Street (from St. Helens Street to south of Cowlitz Street)
• Cowlitz Street (from South 4th Street to Strand Street)
• St. Helens Street (from South 3rd Street to River Street)
• South 1st Street (from St. Helens Street to Wapama Way)
• South 2nd Street (from St. Helens Street to Plymouth Street)
• South 3rd Street (St. Helens Street to Plymouth Street)
• South 4th Street (from Cowlitz Street to Plymouth Street)
• South 5th Street (from Tualatin Street to Plymouth Street)
• Tualatin Street (from South 5th Street to South 2nd Street)

This work is taking place in a high-pressure zone of the City’s water system with a large service area impacted. Due to the high-water pressure and size of the impacted area, the repair will take time to complete. Water must first be blown out of the impacted area with the water lines aired out. Necessary shut offs will also need to be completed in numerous areas of the system to isolate the line before the repair work can begin.

It is not necessary to boil your water (boil water notice) as part of this repair.

You can prepare for the water shutoff ahead of time by:

• Having enough drinking water stored before the system shutdown.
• Storing at least 14 gallons of water per person in sanitized containers is recommended. You can also fill your bathtub with water.
• Filling buckets with water to flush toilets ahead of the shutdown. You can flush a toilet with about a gallon of water.
• Limiting your use of water by using hand sanitizers, paper plates, and paper cups.
• Checking on your neighbors, especially those who are elderly or disabled, to see if they need help.

After the repair is completed and water is turned back on, you may experience air bubbles or opaque-looking water coming out of your faucet. If this happens, run cold water from your faucet. It should take less than a minute for your water to run normal again. 

Notice of the shutdown is being made through the City of St. Helens’ utility billing system to all impacted properties using the phone number on file through our system. An alert is also being placed on the City’s website (www.sthelensoregon.gov) and through social media.

Once water service is restored, the City of St. Helens will make an update on its website (www.sthelensoregon.gov) and on social media that water service has been restored.

If you experience any water issues after water service is restored, please call St. Helens Public Works through non-emergency dispatch at 503-397-1521.

###

For further information regarding the water shutdown, please contact Communications Officer Crystal King at cking@sthelensoregon.gov.