Litchfield Addresses Week-Long Boil Order, Confirms No Contamination

Litchfield City Council Meeting | Oct. 2, 2025

Article Summary: Mayor Jacob Fleming addressed the recent city-wide boil order, clarifying that the issue was caused by a drop in chlorine levels due to equipment failure, not external contamination. He praised the community’s resilience and assured residents that steps are being taken to prevent a recurrence.

Boil Order Key Points:

• Cause: A failure in the chemical feed equipment caused chlorine levels to drop below EPA standards.

• No Contamination: Mayor Fleming emphasized that “nothing infiltrated the water supply” and the issue was purely a lack of disinfectant.

• Response: The city responded swiftly, coordinating with the EPA to fix the equipment and flush the system.

• Future Prevention: The city is reviewing maintenance logs and has engaged engineering firms to develop a long-term improvement plan.

Litchfield Mayor Jacob Fleming opened the Oct. 2, 2025, City Council meeting with a detailed explanation of the recent week-long system-wide boil order that frustrated residents and businesses.

Fleming confirmed the order, which was lifted on Oct. 1, was triggered when chlorine levels in the disinfection system fell below required standards. He stressed that at no point was the water supply compromised by outside contaminants.

“The cause was chlorine levels… dropped below EPA standards,” Fleming said. “I want to make that very clear. There are no outside contaminants of which we were aware. There was a chlorine issue.”

He explained that without adequate chlorine, the water’s natural organic materials are not neutralized, which can pose a health risk. The city’s response involved repairing the faulty equipment and performing a “controlled burn” to re-chlorinate the entire system.

Fleming thanked residents for their patience and highlighted the community’s generosity, noting donations of bottled water to local schools. He also commended city staff for their “all hands on deck” approach.

City Administrator Breann Vazquez later added that while emergency repairs have cost approximately $20,000 so far, a larger investment of $600,000 to $800,000 may be needed for comprehensive system upgrades.

“We can never promise that an emergency won’t occur, but… we are taking steps to ensure to the best of our ability that this same issue does not repeat itself,” Vazquez said.