ERIE, Kan. – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued a boil water advisory for the Neosho County rural water districts numbers 6, 7, 9, and 12 public water supplies.

KDHE officials issued the advisory because of a loss in pressure in the system. Failure to maintain enough pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.

The advisory took effect on December 22 and will remain in effect until KDHE officials say the water is safe to use.

Customers are urged to follow these precautions until further notice:

Boil your water for one minute prior to drinking or using it to prepare food. Also, throw away ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker. They say disinfect dishes and food contact surfaces for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.

Plus, water used for bathing does not need to be boiled but its important to monitor your children during their baths to be sure water is not ingested. Finally, if your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.