AUSTIN — Following a boil water notice issued to Austin Water customers Oct. 22, Austinites are scrambling to get bottled water from grocery stores across the city.
Historic flooding last week brought high levels of silt into the City of Austin's water supply, so the city's water plants are struggling to keep up. The city said it plans to lift the boil water notice once the treatment systems are stabilized.
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A water shortage isn't the only thing impacting Austin H-E-B stores. An H-E-B customer shared on Twitter Monday that the store was low on produce. An H-E-B employee reportedly told the customer they had to throw out all of the produce that the water had touched and scrubbed down the area.
"In an abundance of caution, early this morning we disposed of green leafy produce that had been sprayed by our misting system," H-E-B said.
An H-E-B spokesperson told KVUE that only some Austin H-E-B stores were impacted.
"Some stores are in stock as they caught and cleaned their shelves before it was displayed and sprayed," H-E-B said.
In the meantime, Austin Water customers are asked to boil their water before drinking, cooking with it or using ice.
Hours after the boil water notice was issued, Austinites flocked to local grocery stores to get bottled water, leaving shelves empty. H-E-B told KVUE they worked overnight to send fleets of trucks full of water to Austin.
"We will keep sending trailers of water until it is no longer needed," an H-E-B representative told KVUE.
H-E-B told KVUE that each customer may only buy up to four cases of bottled water or four gallons of water.
"We’re asking our Austin community to hang tight as more bottled water is on the way to your local H-E-B," said Johnny A. Mojica with H-E-B public affairs. "Our top priority is making sure our stores are replenished as quickly as possible to support the needs of our customers during the boil order. More than 100 trailers of water will be sent to Austin-area stores throughout the day. Customers in Austin may purchase up to four cases of bottled water (24 pack) or four gallons of water, per customer."
PHOTOS: Grocery stores in Austin packed after boil water notice issued
KVUE's Jay Wallis saw Austin residents rushing into an H-E-B to fill up on bottled water Monday morning.
At the H-E-B on Far West, shelves were empty when KVUE's Lauren Petterson arrived at around 5:20 a.m.
Katie Lynch said her H-E-B was packed with people getting bottled water.
Ariadyn Hansen tweeted a video of the "longest 6 a.m. line ever" at the H-E-B on Burnet Road. She said she couldn't find water at that location.
While many scrambled to get bottled water from grocery stores, others opted to simply boil their water before drinking.
KVUE's Kristie Gonzalez said Jo's Coffee in downtown Austin was not serving coffee or water due to the boil water notice.