Water in the city of Lonoke is safe to drink again, state health officials said, after residents and businesses went without service for about seven hours Wednesday.
The state Department of Health said the “do not drink” order, initially issued just after 10 a.m. was lifted at around 4 p.m., after levels of chlorine and fluoride in the water returned to acceptable levels.
Residents were told not to drink, use or boil water from the city’s system, after officials said a high concentration of fluoride and chlorine contaminated the water supply.
Lance Jones, director of the city engineering section, said the fluoride and chlorine may have gotten into the supply during maintenance work at the chemical treatment plant around 10 a.m. Boiling the water won’t clear up the contamination, Jones said.
The Lonoke Water and Sewer System serves the city of about 4,200.
The city got water from the Grand Prairie Regional Water District to flush out the lines, Jones said.
“Those chlorine residuals are back in normal ranges,” Jones said during a news conference with the Arkansas Department of Health.
Lonoke Police, posting on Facebook, offered one case of water per family while the city’s water system was down. The water was being given out at city hall.
“We hope to get more water and at the time, we can adjust the amount given,” the department said at about 1 p.m. “Please be understanding and patient. City crews are working as hard as they can to resolve the situation.”
Jones said under the “do not drink” declaration, all city water was considered unsafe to drink and water used for food preparation, including ice cubes, should be thrown out. Water could still be used for laundry, washing hands, and flushing toilets, Jones said.
The Lonoke Public School District dismissed students at 11:45 a.m. due to a lack of water.
If someone drank the water before seeing the “do not use” order, they should be fine if they didn’t detect a strong chlorine taste, Jones said. Anyone concerned should see a physician, he said.
Residents may want to flush out their pipes and check for a chemical odor before using, Jones said.
“If they haven’t used their plumbing or water today … they may want to flush their system to make sure they’re not detecting a strong chlorine smell,” Jones said.
This story has been updated. It was originally published at 3 p.m. under the headline “Lonoke declares water unusable after fluoride, chlorine leak into system.”
Original article online at: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2026/mar/11/lonoke-declares-water-unusable-after-flouride/