Public health order remains in effect for North Texas community after deadly accident

NBC-DFW – A Denton County community is a step closer to having water service fully restored after a deadly water main break.

The accident happened Thursday in Providence Village.

The effort to make sure each resident has drinkable water continued Sunday afternoon with a distribution of cases of bottled water.

Providence Village Mayor Linda Inman said anyone with proof of residency could receive water without leaving their vehicle.

“Right now, we’re doing about 100 cases (of water) per hour,” Inman said.

What to Do During a Boil Water Advisory

Volunteers from the Denton County Medical Reserve Corp and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) distributed the cases of water and are assisting the master-planned community of just over 7,000 residents.

“I’ve been coordinating with them to get water out to our residents while we’re under a boil notice,” Inman said.

The boil order has been in place since shortly after a deadly accident on Thursday.

Emergency crews responded to a water main break where two workers were trapped working at the base of the Providence Village water tower.

One of those workers, Jesus Perez Vasquez, did not survive. The family told NBC 5 that the 29-year-old man left behind a bride of just three months.

The water is back on, but the boil order remained on Sunday evening until lab results from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) are complete …

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“Large cities across the United States average 25 breaks for every 100 miles of water main per year, while the industry has set a best practices goal of 15 breaks for every 100 miles of main. With approximately 6,800 miles of water mains, New York City now averages about five breaks for every 100 miles of water main.” – New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)