originally posted on June 1, 2016

 

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Consolidated Water of Boone County is warning customers living within the Consolidated Water Supply District #1 to boil their water until the weekend.

The district said Wednesday afternoon they were experiencing a leak in the water main that created low water pressure.

The order affects customers along Cunningham Drive and its intersecting streets, Van Horn Tavern Road and east of Highway UU. That also includes people living near Gillespie Bridge Road all the way to Coats Lane.

The boil order is expected to be lifted in the affected areas by 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Consolidated Water provided useful tips on how to get clean drinking water

1. The utility suggests customers boil water for at least three minutes. Use it only for drinking water, brushing teeth and for preparing food.
2.  Customers should not use ice from an automatic icemaker or any ice made from unboiled water.
3. Disinfect dishes and other other food contact surface areas for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of bleach per gallon of water.
4. Water used for hand-washing or bathing doesn’t typically need to be boiled.

originally posted on June 1. 2016

 

The city of Gatineau has advised the residents of the Hull sector to boil tapwater for at least a minute before drinking it or using it to brush their teeth.

The city gave no reason for the advisory, but noted tapwater may “appear discoloured.”

“The tap water can safely be used as is for baths, showers, laundry and doing dishes,” the advisory notes.

There was no estimated time frame for the advisory.

by Chris Berg originally posted on May 31, 2016

 

Mason City, Iowa – The city of Mason City has issued a boil advisory for one block along Highway 122 after a water main break earlier today.

Houses in the block from South York Avenue to South Rhode Island Avenue were without water at 11:30 a.m. Monday. Residents in that area should plan to boil water after pressure is restored until water testing shows the water is safe to drink.

Residents should bring water to a boil and boil it for one minute, then cool it before using. They should use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.

Tap water can be used for bathing and similar purposes.

Pressure losses create conditions which can allow bacteria to enter the water distribution system. The city or DNR will notify residents when the advisory is lifted.

For more information, call the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791 for general guidelines on ways to reduce risks of infection.

originally posted on May 31, 2016

 

BARBOURSVILLE, W.Va. (WSAZ) — A boil water advisory is in effect in Barboursville.

Mayor Chris Tatum tells WSAZ the advisory is in effect for nearly 100 West Virginia American Water customers.

Residents on Hickory Drive, Blake Street and Brady Drive are impacted by the advisory.

Tatum tells WSAZ the advisory is due to a water main break.

He says the advisory will be in place through Wednesday afternoon at the earliest.

originally posted on May 31, 2016

 

FARMINGTON — The more than 6,000 customers of the AV Water company have been advised to continue boiling their drinking water, one week after a failure in the company’s supply line sent discolored tap water into Crouch Mesa homes.

New Mexico Environment Department Spokeswoman Allison Scott Majure said in a press release today that tests for contamination have not exceed safe drinking water standards, but officials recommend that the boil advisory stay in place until inspectors gather more information.

The alert was issued on May 25 and has stretched on longer than expected. Jose Grijalva, the company’s treatment plant operator, told The Daily Times last week that the discoloration was due to dirt trapped inside pipes and that he expected the issue to be resolved within a couple days. In an interview today, Grijalva said test results have come back negative for harmful bacteria such as E. coli, and the company is waiting on authorization from state officials to lift the advisory.

Majure said that NMED inspectors are still carrying out tests, however, and recommended AV Water customers continue to take precautionary measures until all the results are in.

Crouch Mesa resident Beth Sutherland said her water has cleared up immensely since the alert was issued, but still has a yellow tinge to it. She said spending nearly a week constantly boiling water has cost her time and money.

“It’s not an easy chore,” she said.

originally posted on Jun 1, 2016

 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A boil water advisory has been issued for Georgetown, Indiana.

This is according to a news release issued by town officials.

The advisory goes into effect at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, June 1.

Authorities say the advisory is only for customers living around the Kelly Avenue water line replacement project. Notification will be given to residents when the advisory has been lifted.

 

originally posted on May 31, 2016

 

BALDWIN, Fla.—A precautionary boil water advisory was issued Tuesday for residents of Baldwin who live on the east side of the railroad tracks on U.S. 90 after a main water break earlier in the morning.

Town officials put out a statement Tuesday afternoon urging all residents of Baldwin in that area to boil their water for at least a minute before drinking or cooking with it.

The notice will remain in effect until a bacteriological survey shows the water is safe to drink again.

Officials said that it usually takes 3 to 4 days for the results to come back. If, after the fourth day, if you haven’t seen an update, officials also said that you can stop boiling your water.

originally posted on May 31, 2016

 

OLEDO (13abc Action News) – The City of Toledo Department of Public Utilities has issued a water boil advisory for residents on Heatherdowns Blvd. from Cass to Heathergate.

The city says due to repairs to the water must be tested. The boil advisory expires on Friday at 5:00 p.m.

Click on the Water Boil Advisory document to read the city’s complete announcement.

by David Warren, originally posted on May 30, 2016

 

DALLAS — A glass of drinking water hasn’t been easy to come by lately for the 320,000 people in Corpus Christi.

The Texas Gulf Coast city has issued three orders in less than a year telling residents to boil their water to ensure it’s safe to consume, including a two-week order this month that sparked outrage, contributed to the city manager’s resignation and renewed questions about how to fix the problem.

Corpus Christi is one of many U.S. communities coping with water problems caused by aging infrastructure. With costly upgrades unrealistic for many cash-strapped cities, including Corpus Christi, the water problems seem likely to persist.

“We’re talking about supplying water in the year 2016, and we’re having these problems over and over again,” dentist Rene Vela told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. “It’s starting to affect my family, my employees and I’m sure the rest of the city. It’s ridiculous.”

The issues of safe drinking water and eroding infrastructure gained widespread attention in recent months due to the crisis in Flint, Michigan, where lead pipes contaminated the water supply after the city switched from a metropolitan Detroit system to improperly treated Flint River water in 2014 while under state management.

In Texas alone, there were 1,550 boil-water advisories last year, up from about 1,100 in 2012 and 650 in 2008, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Fourteen Texas cities with populations exceeding 100,000 have issued at least one boil-water advisory in the last five years. Other U.S. metro areas have had similar problems: In recent years the residents of Toledo, Ohio, a city of 400,000, were told not to drink the water after toxins penetrated the system, and the Seattle suburb of Mercer Island avoided tap water for nearly a week after elevated levels of E. coli were found.

Greg DiLoreto, past president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, said an additional $105 billion must be spent to modernize water and wastewater treatment facilities in a country that sees 240,000 water main breaks a year. But it’s a tall order in light of how the upgrade burden falls largely on local water utilities, many of which serve only a few hundred or even a few dozen customers.

“If you want fewer incidents and you want quality water, you’re going to have to increase water rates,” DiLoreto said. “We’re not understanding the true cost of operating, maintaining and replacing a full water utility.”

DiLoreto and other water quality experts say that while the increase in boil-water notices in many states reflects problems with failing public utility systems, they also speak to new rules and greater transparency in notifying the public when water quality may be undermined.

As Steve Via with the American Water Works Association explains, “It does eventually work its way back to an aging infrastructure because if the public isn’t aware of the consequences of not taking care of our drinking water then they’re not supporting the investment to keep it up to date and improving on it.”

There are many reasons a city’s water quality can be compromised, among them broken water mains, loss of pressure, high bacteria levels and weather-related causes.

Several appear to apply to Corpus Christi.

The city’s latest advisory, which ended Wednesday, was largely a precautionary measure taken after nitrogen-rich runoff from rain flowed into the water system, resulting in low chlorine disinfectant levels in the water supply.

Corpus Christi typically receives about 10 inches of rain by this time of year, but 2016 has been unusually wet with more than 18 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Previous boil-water notices were issued in July and September, the first for elevated levels of E. coli and the second for low chlorine levels, the Caller-Times reported. The notices mirror two others that were issued in 2007. In some cases, various parts of the city were affected, and in others, such as the most recent one, the notice was citywide.

City crews have worked to reconfigure some mains to ensure that water keeps circulating and to prevent bacteria growth. But an overarching concern is an old water system where more than half of 225 miles of cast-iron pipe needs to be upgraded, according to the newspaper. Many of the pipes were installed in the 1950s and when they decay they’re prone to collapse or to slow water flow, allowing bacteria to fester.

A fear for civic leaders is that the recurring advisories could cause long-term harm to the area’s vibrant tourism business for its miles of sun-splashed beaches and protected coastline brimming with wildlife.

Mayor Nelda Martinez said at a news conference Wednesday that city staff must do better at identifying problems before they lead to a public health hazard.

“This is a symptom of our significant deferred maintenance challenge — it tells us how much work we have in front of us and where we need to prioritize our resources,” Martinez said. “And it’s not just about addressing structural needs but looking at how we handle the operational aspects as well.

by Chris White, originally posted on May 31, 2016

 

LITHOPOLIS, Ohio (WSYX/WTTE) — The Village of Lithopolis was issued a boil advisory Monday afternoon.

All drinking water must be boiled vigorously for at least one minute.

This includes water used for cooking, making ice, and brushing teeth.

The water department is issuing the advisory as a precaution. No evidence of contamination exists as of Monday afternoon.

The department is collecting samples and results should be available Tuesday.