originally posted on September 19, 2016

 

A boil advisory has been issued for the city of Malcom in Poweshiek County after the system experienced a drop in water pressure.

Due to the potential for bacterial contamination, it is being recommended that the water be boiled before being used for drinking or cooking or that an alternative source such as bottled water be used until further notice.

The drop in water pressure occurred due to a valve malfunction. The repair has been made, but a drop in water pressure can allow bacteria to enter the system.

Two sets of water samples will be taken to determine whether the water is safe and when the advisory can be lifted.

Residents of Malcom are advised to bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. The water may be used for bathing and other similar purposes.

General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1(800) 426-4791.

by John Wright, originally posted on September 19, 2016

 

Le Pera Elementary School is closed Monday and Tuesday after receiving an E. coli notice and boil advisory from the Colorado River Indian Tribes.

CRIT Water Utilities informed school officials late Friday that a routine sample taken from a water tower at the school had tested positive for E. coli. A water line from the tower was re-routed, and multiple tests were conducted over the weekend to ensure that no contamination remains, according to the CRIT public notice.

“As simply a precautionary measure, it is necessary to close the school while CRIT Water Utilities takes this corrective action,” said Le Pera Principal Brian Wedemeyer. “We will re-open the school once we are certain the water is safe to use.”

The La Paz County Girls Volleyball Invitational that was scheduled over the weekend was also cancelled.

The CRIT notice said that the area affected is between Tahbo Road and Nez Road, a mostly agricultural area of the valley south of Parker, and did not affect other areas. Residents in the area have been told to boil their water before using it until the tower is cleared for use.

Routine water testing is a normal part of public water systems maintenance.

The City of Fernie has issued a Water Quality Advisory, after a ‘Fair’ rating on the Turbidity Index.

-by Bradley Jones, September 19, 2016

 

City staff are notifying the public that water quality is not ideal and that children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems should drink boiled water until further notice or seek another safe alternative.

The city says water intended for drinking, making ice or juice, brushing teeth, or washing fruits and vegetables should be boiled for at least one minute.

Although health risks are minimal, the city is asking all residents to take any necessary precautions.

The Water Quality Advisory will be lifted when water conditions return to normal.

originally posted on September 18, 2016

 

A boil advisory has been issued by the City of Mount Vernon Water and Wastewater Department.

Additionally, if customers of City of Mount Vernon water would like to receive boil advisory notifications via text message or email, please follow the link below, which can be found at www.mountvernonohio.org and sign up for WENS Alerts.

by Taylor Eaton, originally posted on September 19, 2016

 

UPDATE 9/19/16 @ 8:15 a.m.
KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) — A boil water advisory has been issued for about 400 customers after a water main break in Kanawha County.

McKinley Middle School and Weimer Elementary School are both closed Monday due to no water at the schools. There were two unrelated water main breaks that caused the outages.

The first break happened on South Fort Drive Monday morning around 1:30 a.m.

Dispatchers say the entrance of South Fort Drive near Wilkie Drive in Charleston will be closed until about 10:30 a.m. Monday morning.

There was also a water main break in the 3200 block of Kanawha Terrace near St. Albans between McKinley Middle School and Maccorkle Avenue. Water is turned off in the area because of the break.

The customers affected by the boil water advisory include, customers on Kanawha Terrace (including George C. Weimer Elementary School and McKinley Middle School), Green Valley Drive and side streets, Hampshire Drive and side streets, Stone Drive, Middle Drive and Poplar Lane Road.

ORIGINAL STORY
KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) — Two water main breaks in Kanawha County are affecting school for some students.

McKinley Middle School and Weimer Elementary School are both closed today due to no water at the schools.

The cause of those water problems are two separate water main breaks.

The first break happened on South Fort Drive Monday morning around 1:30 a.m.

Dispatchers say the entrance of South Fort Drive near Wilkie Drive in Charleston will be closed until about 10:30 a.m. Monday morning.

There is also a water main break in the 3200 block of Kanawha Terrace near St. Albans between McKinley Middle School and Maccorkle Avenue.

Water is turned off in the area because of the break.

Dispatchers say there is standing water on the roadway so drivers are urged to use caution.

Crews are working to repair both breaks.

Keep checking WSAZ Mobile and WSAZ.com for the latest information.

originally posted on September 17, 2016

 

STONY POINT – The Suez water utility has issued a boil-water alert for portions of Stony Point and Haverstraw after an issue with overnight water-main repair.

“At about 12:30 AM on (Saturday) a portion of Suez distribution network lost pressure due to a water main break,” said an announcement on Suez’s website. “When the distribution pipes and mains lose pressure it increases the chance that untreated water and harmful microbes could enter the system.”

Suez had already posted an alert that service would be disrupted overnight because of work on a 20-inch main on Call Hollow Road in Haverstraw. The water main was damaged by a contractor, according to the utility’s Facebook page, and temporary repairs made at the time were to be followed by a permanent fix last night.

The repair and service interruption was scheduled to begin about 11 p.m. Friday and continue overnight to minimize the impact to customers and businesses in the area, the utility said.

“The start of the repair was delayed by approximately 1.5 hours in order to accommodate the needs of a late-evening event hosted by a local business,” Suez posted on Facebook. “Unfortunately, this delay coupled with several changes in field conditions once excavation commenced, unavoidably delayed the final repair. This has resulted in the repair being extended into the morning hours and additional customers in Stony Point and Haverstraw being impacted. Some customers may experience a temporary discoloration of water during this time. We apologize for the inconvenience and we anticipate service will return to normal shortly. We thank you for your patience throughout this event.”

originally posted on September 16, 2016

 

PHILADELPHIA — Residents near two former suburban Navy bases are suing producers of firefighting foam once used there, claiming they contaminated the drinking water.

New York law firm Weitz & Luxenberg filed the federal lawsuit Thursday in Philadelphia on behalf of seven people who lived near the Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base and the Naval Air Warfare Center. The lawsuit seeks chemical cleanup and unspecified damages.

Named as defendants are 3M Co. of St. Paul, Minn.; UK-based Angus Fire; Ansul Co. of Marinette, Wis.; North Carolina-based Buckeye Fire Protection Co.; Wisconsin’s Chemguard; and National Foam of West Chester.

The residents allege the companies should have known perfluorooctane sulfonate and other chemicals would pose health and environmental risks. They’re seeking class action status.

“With this lawsuit, we are fighting to ensure that the companies who manufactured and marketed products containing these chemicals — and put their profits ahead of public health in the process — are brought to justice for their wrongdoing,” Robin Greenwald, who heads an environmental unit at the law firm, said in a statement.

The chemical compounds have been found in some firefighting foams that were widely used for decades on military bases throughout the country. They also are found in some household items such as food packaging.

The issue has gotten the attention of environmental activist Erin Brockovich, who spoke with residents at a community meeting in Willow Grove in June. Brockovich, who was portrayed by Julia Roberts in a 2000 movie bearing her name, works as a consultant to Weitz & Luxenberg.

No scientific evidence has consistently linked the chemicals to cancer in humans, although some studies have shown that people exposed to high levels of the compounds had higher incidents of kidney, prostate and testicular cancers, the Pennsylvania Department of Health says.

The Navy and National Guard previously agreed to pay about $19 million to provide residents replacement water and install filtration systems after more than a dozen public wells and 140 private wells in the Philadelphia area were taken offline.

Attorney William A. Brewer III, representing 3M, said the claims in the lawsuit have no merit. He said the U.S. military used the product “because it saves lives, which likely explains why this product remains in use about a decade after 3M exited the sales of it.”

The company sold the product with instructions on how to safely use and dispose of it, he said.

Tyco Fire Protection Products was aware of the legal action involving its brands Ansul and Chemguard but declined to comment on the ongoing litigation, a spokeswoman said.

Other companies named in the lawsuit did not immediately respond Friday to requests for comment.

by Jon Bleiweis, originally posted on December 20, 2016

 

Restrictions on water use at two buildings in the Charlestown retirement community in Catonsville were lifted Tuesday after a new round of tests showed the water was safe and meets state standards.

The restrictions were imposed earlier this month after a resident in the newly opened Caton Woods assisted living building was diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease — a potentially deadly respiratory illness — and tests found low to “inconclusive” levels of the bacteria in water at the building and the adjacent Renaissance Gardens Terrace building.

Residents were given bottled water for drinking and brushing teeth and were encouraged to take baths rather than showers, and to fill their sinks slowly when washing dishes, to avoid spraying mist.

Water systems in both buildings were disinfected after the Legionnaires’ case was discovered and the county health department has ordered stepped-up monitoring.

No other cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been reported at the campus.

“I think the precautionary measures were a prudent step taken to ensure the welfare of everyone in the community,” said Dan Dunne, a spokesman for Erickson Living, the company that manages Charlestown.

The latest analysis, conducted by a third party certified laboratory, showed the water was negative for Legionnaires’ bacteria growth, Dunne said. He declined to name the laboratory.

Residents had been moving from Renaissance Gardens Terrace, a 29-year-old building, to Caton Woods, which opened last month, at the time of the Dec. 5 diagnosis. Move-ins were paused but resumed and completed after both buildings had restrictions in place.

There are 87 residents living at Caton Woods, a building designed for 116.

The resident has returned to Caton Woods and the resident’s health has been progressively better, Dunne said. It remains unknown how the resident contracted the disease.

“That’s sort of the question of the day,” he said. “While we have not confirmed Caton Woods was source of resident’s illness, we recognize, based on water test outcomes, exposure cannot be ruled out.”

The county health department has told Charlestown to conduct water testing at the two buildings every two weeks for the next three months, then monthly for three months.

by Stephen Peterson, originally posted on December 20, 2016

 

ATTLEBORO — The city has had to deal with three water main breaks in less than two days.

The latest, Wednesday morning, were on Pike and Peck streets, with parts of the roadways shut down to allow water department employees to work.

Read Street was the scene of yet another water main break early Tuesday morning.

Police and firefighters responded about 1 a.m. to Read Street, a lengthy and busy connector from Route 123 near the South Attleboro Fire Station to South Main Street. The road was shut down, as was water service to the area.

Up-and-down temperatures, as has been the situation recently, often contribute to water main breaks, but the water main down Read has been problematic because of its age, as well.

The road has been the scene of at least seven water main breaks over the past 1 1/2 years, with four breaks last year in a span of several months.

The breaks have sent thousands of gallons of water flowing like a river down the road. Some of the breaks have flooded residential property.

Earlier this year, the city authorized a $122,500 study to prioritize maintenance and replacement of water mains throughout the city.

Officials say areas affected include Eastover Drive, Hickory Springs Road

by Gabby Hart, originally posted on December 18, 2016

 

JACKSON, Miss. — Jackson officials issued a precautionary boil water notice Sunday due to a recent loss in water pressure.

Officials issued a precautionary boil water advisory until further notice for the 2300 to 2599 area of Eastover Drive and the 4400 to 4499 area of Hickory Springs Road.

The notices do not mean that your water is unsafe, but it does mean that you must take precaution and boil your water before using it.

All customers are advised to boil their drinking water until adequate pressure is restored to the system.

Water should be brought to a rolling boil for one minute for the following: cooking or baking, making ice cubes, taking medication, brushing teeth, washing food, mixing baby formula or food, mixing juices or drinks feeding pets, washing dishes and all other consumption.