STAUNTON, VA (Rocktown Now) — UPDATE: 8/18/25 The boil water advisory has been lifted in Staunton.

A Boil Water Advisory is in effect for all City of Staunton Water Customers due to a large water main break early Friday morning.

Crews have now repaired the watermain break, however, the boil water advisory will continue for 48 hours to give time for water sampling and testing.

Residential and business customers should boil water before using it for drinking, cooking, or brushing teeth. Bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute and let it cool before use.

Customers do not need to boil water for taking a shower, washing clothes in a washing machine, or running the dishwasher on a sanitize setting.

Officials say that early Friday morning, Staunton Public Works was notified of a watermain break behind Stocker Street. Utility crews were immediately dispatched and found significant damage to a large, 16-inch water main. To complete the repair, water service had to be shut off. Initial efforts to limit the outage to a small area were unsuccessful, making it necessary to expand the shut-off. This caused low water pressure throughout much of the city and required service interruptions in higher-elevation areas.

The utility department is now slowly restoring water flow and replenishing the system. After water is restored, water testing and sampling will begin.

City officials are operating a drinking water distribution site at the Gypsy Hill Park Gymnasium. The site will be open from 1pm-7pm on Friday and 7am to 7pm on Saturday and Sunday. There will be a limit of one case of water bottles or two-gallon jugs per vehicle.

Staunton City Schools will be closed on Monday, August 18. 12-month employees should report as normal.