Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional comments from Montgomery Public Works Director Mike Muckleroy.

Montgomery officials are asking residents to practice water conservation after Water Well No. 3 went out of commission.

The gist

Water Well No. 3 went down and is being investigated, according to a notice on the city’s website. This now leaves Water Well No. 4—the newest and biggest water well in the city’s system—as the only operational well after Water Well No. 2 went down in August 2023.

Public Works Director Mike Muckleroy said the city's operator for Well No. 3 got the alert it went down on Aug. 1, and that the cause was a failed motor within the casing. Well No. 2 went down due to a collapsed casing due to age.

"We have well performance tests done annually which can show if something is abnormal," Muckleroy said. "All was normal with the last test."

City officials are now asking for water customers to practice water conservation and minimize water use for nonessential purposes. Outdoor watering and irrigation is asked to only take place between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m., according to the city’s website.

“This is a serious situation we are in right now, and we need your help to get through this. If Well [No.] 4 were to go down right now there would be no way to provide water throughout the entire city,” the city’s website reads.

Stay tuned

A timeline and cost estimate for Well No. 3's repair is not yet available, Muckleroy said. A contract for the new Well No. 2 was signed and construction should begin sometime in August.