Mancos stops using the county alert system during the boil advisory

The Town of Mancos said Saturday that it will stop using Montezuma County’s Everbridge emergency alert system while its boil-water advisory is in force, and will put updates only on its own website and Facebook page.

The town posted the decision on its website under the heading “EMERGENCY PUBLIC NOTICE,” dated November 7 and marked “Effective Immediately.” It says the town “will no longer be utilizing the Montezuma County Everbridge emergency alert system for the duration of the current Town of Mancos Boil Advisory.”

The reason the notice gives is that the system is not working as the town expects. “Unfortunately, the technology is not functioning as intended, and we do not want to risk further delays, missed messages, or confusion when communicating important information to our residents,” it says.

The notice does not say what failed, when, or how many people were affected, and it does not say whether the town will go back to Everbridge once the advisory is lifted.

What it says went wrong

The notice names a second problem alongside the technology: confusion between two different water systems that both have boil orders running.

“The situation has been further complicated by the boil order advisory affecting Mancos Rural Water, which has resulted in unintended confusion among our residents,” it says.

Those are two separate utilities. The Town of Mancos runs the municipal system inside town limits, and the state required a boil/bottle advisory on it on November 6 after flooding forced the town to let inadequately treated water into its pipes to keep the pressure up. Mancos Rural Water is a different provider serving customers outside the town system, and it has had its own boil order since a main break the county reported on November 4 left about 653 customers without water. Neither order has been lifted in writing.

In a separate notice the same day, the town spelled out which of the two it speaks for: “This affects customers of the Town of Mancos. Mancos Rural Water customers and people using well water are not affected.”

Where updates will go now

The notice lists two channels: the town’s website at www.mancoscolorado.com and the Facebook page it identifies as “Town Hall of Mancos (orange logo).” It asks residents to check both regularly.

It closes with an apology. “We sincerely apologize for the confusion, frustration, and distress this situation has caused our citizens,” it says. “We understand the importance of timely and reliable communication, especially during an emergency, and appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through this situation.”

Communication was already on the agenda

How the town talks to residents is already an item at Wednesday’s board meeting. A draft after-action report on the flood, published in the trustees’ November 11 packet and reported by the Current on Friday, prints written feedback from trustees that says there was “minimal communication from the Town” before and during the response.

One passage in that feedback asks directly whether the town could “utilize Everbridge for more than just evac alerts.” Another says that “MANY people do not have Facebook, so relying on it as our sole method for communication is a disservice to residents” — which is close to the arrangement Saturday’s notice sets up, minus the website.

Trustees meet at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11 at Town Hall, 117 N. Main St., after a 5:30 p.m. workshop on the draft 2027 budget. The after-action report is on the agenda for discussion only.

The notice is on the Town of Mancos website.