July 4, 2010

     MERRILL — Things most people take for granted — like flushing the toilet, taking a shower and drinking water from the tap — should again be a way of life for Merrill people today.

   “We’ve got water in Merrill,” a jubilant City Marshall Brian Bicknell said Saturday afternoon.

   Bicknell — who enjoyed a shower Saturday “and the water was just as good as it was before this all happened” — said tests certifying the water as safe for drinking are expected to be approved late this morning or early afternoon.

   City residents lost water service late Tuesday night because of a drop in the water table. On Friday, crews attached 80 feet of pipe to the existing pipe and lowered it 150 feet into the 1,500-foot deep well. Various tests have been done since to ensure the water quality. The approval to use water for all uses except drinking was given Saturday.

   Bicknell said water trucks that had been providing drinking water left Merrill Saturday afternoon.

   “I’ve been over-whelmed,” Bicknell said of the cooperation by city residents. “We had little or no complaining. People were taking care of their neighbors. Everybody had great attitudes.”