Pennsylvania American Water said Monday that it is advising several communities in Allegheny and Washington to boil their water before consumption due to high turbidity, or cloudiness, in the water supply.
The company said the warning applies to approximately 100,000 customers.
In a statement, Pennsylvania American Water said it is taking corrective actions, including draining its affected water storage tanks.
“We anticipate resolving the problem by this evening,” the statement said.
Here are the affected communities:
● Bethel Park ● Clairton ● Dravosburg ● Elizabeth Township ● Elizabeth Borough ● Glassport ● Jefferson ● Jefferson Hills Borough ● Liberty ● Lincoln ● North Fayette ● South Fayette ● South Park ● Upper Saint Clair ● West Elizabeth
● Amwell ● Avella ● Buffalo ● Burgettstown ● Canton ● Canonsburg ● Caroll Township ● Cecil Township ● Chartiers ● City of Washington ● Claysville ● Cross Creek ● Donegal Township ● East Washington ● Fallowfield ● Finleyville ● Frankfort Springs ● Forward Township ● Green Hills Borough ● Independence ● Hanover ● Hopewell ● Houston ● Jefferson ● McDonald ● Midway ● Monongahela ● Mount Pleasant ● New Eagle ● North Franklin ● North Strabane ● Nottingham ● Peters Township ● Robinson Township ● Smith Township ● Somerset Township ● South Franklin ● South Strabane ● Union Township ● West Middletown According to a statement from the company, turbidity “has no health effects,” but “can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth” and indicate “the presence of disease-causing organisms.” Bacteria, viruses and parasites can cause symptoms such as “nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches,” the release said.
Boil water for at least one minute and let it cool.
The alternative is to use bottled water.
Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and food preparation until further notice.

UPDATE: Sutherland water now safe to drink.
Sutherland city officials said the Boil Water Advisory has been lifted for Sutherland residents as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Village of Sutherland received test results from the first set of water samples they sent Monday for testing.
The results came back negative for bacteria.
We will keep you updated on this when the next set of samples come in Wednesday, September 13.
_______________________________________________________ UPDATE: Water specialists from the Department of Health and Human Services are on the ground in Sutherland, testing the water supply.
Water pressure is now back up in the town, but officials want to be safe before the public drinks the water.
"Right now we just sent off samples, five from each zone.
In order for the water to be considered safe to drink, both samples from Monday and Tuesday have to come back negative for bacteria, otherwise the town could be looking at a longer wait time.
ORIGINAL: The village of Sutherland released a notice to the pubic on Sunday stating they are under a boil water advisory due to a complete loss in water pressure.

Hurricane Irma: How to disinfect your water if your power is out.
Hurricane Irma’s storms brought floods and rain to the region, causing some issues for the drinking water supply in South Florida.
It led several cities in Broward County to advise their residents to boil their water before drinking it or using it for cooking.
For residents who can’t boil the water, officials recommend either using bottled water or disinfecting water.
— Let water stand for 30 minutes before drinking or cooking with it.
All residents of Davie and Hollywood are also subject to a boil advisory.
As of Sunday afternoon, about 666,000 Florida Power and Light customers were without electricity, according to the company’s outage map.
Officials throughout Broward said Hurricane Irma caused damage and interruptions to water services as it brushed by South Florida.
See photos of Hurricane Irma’s impact across South Florida.
Hurricane Irma-inspired plywood messages » How you can volunteer to help after Hurricane Irma »

There is no law that requires cities disinfect their water, Stringer said.
"We need to consider disinfecting," he said of Artesia’s water system.
Artesia does not have a disinfectant system.
Even if the city does submit two clean samples to NMED, processed in a state-licensed lab in Hobbs, Yurdin said the state will continue to monitor Artesia’s system more than before.
The discovery of E. coli triggered a required state assessment of the city water system within 30 days, Stringer said.
He said Artesia’s E. coli problem is a top priority for his division that oversee water systems as small as trailer parks or as large at the city of Albuquerque.
Artesia’s water has now been known to contain the potentially life-threatening bacteria for about six days since a boil water alert was put into effect on June 15.
The three positive samples were in areas subjected to chlorine flushing Tuesday night, read a news release from the City of Artesia.
Flushing of city water lines will continue through Thursday with the city turning on fire hydrants.
Officials hope that by flushing the lines, contaminated water will exit the system and clean water will be able to flow.

Muscatine UV disinfectant system back online.
MUSCATINE, Iowa (KWQC) – The City of Muscatine Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP) has completed repairs to the gate that regulates the flow of treated wastewater into the Ultra Violet (UV) Disinfection System.
Effluent (treated wastewater heading out of the WPCP) is now being processed through the UV system before being sent to the Mississippi River.
Treated wastewater was diverted around the UV-Disinfection system on Monday (July 3) when the gate malfunctioned.
The diversion resulted in a required notification being issued particularly for those downstream of Muscatine.
The system went back online Thursday (July 6).
It is important to note that the water, even before running through the UV system, is at or exceeds acceptable levels for discharge into the Mississippi River and is 98 percent pure.
In fact, Muscatine is one of the few cities in Iowa that completes their treatment process with the UV disinfectant system which attacks the DNA of any remaining bacteria making reproduction impossible.
The notification is required by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources whenever an issue occurs outside of the municipalities permit.
In this case, a notification was required even though the effluent was at or exceeded acceptable levels for discharge.

UPDATE: Tyler’s boil water notice lifted.
TYLER – UPDATE: The notice has been lifted
A portion of Northwest Tyler remain under a boil water notice which was issued Friday due to water disinfectant levels below the minimum set by the Texas Commission on Environmental Equality.
According to city officials, the notice includes 400 residential water customers and an unknown number of commercial customers.
"It is safe to use for instances that are not for consumption."
"We’ve had crews out 24 hours per day since Friday flushing the system to get water moving through the system in an attempt to get residuals up above minimum level," she said.
"The chlorine conversion is a city-wide process," said Crossman.
Cases of bottled water are also available in the lobby of the Tyler Police Department, 711 W Ferguson Street.
"We don’t have a firm answer for when the boil notice will be lifted," said Crossman.
"We are partnering with a third party consultant," she said.

The rising issues related to the scarcity of clean and healthy water is one of the major factors boosting the demand for UV disinfection technology across the globe.
The market is estimated to reach a value of US$6.73 bn by the end of 2025, exhibiting an impressive 17.40% CAGR between 2017 and 2025.
In addition, the advancements in technology and innovations are anticipated to benefit the market players and augment the global UV disinfection equipment market in the next few years.
The increasing awareness among consumers concerning the advantages of using UV disinfection technologies is anticipated to encourage the growth of the overall market in the next few years.
Furthermore, the rising concerns over water scarcity and the growing need for wastewater treatment are expected to offer lucrative opportunities for the market players in the near future.
Moreover, the introduction of effective technology and new products are likely to encourage growth.
The rising contribution from the U.S. and the presence of several leading companies are anticipated to encourage the growth of the North America market in the next few years.
Europe is expected to follow North America and register a healthy growth in the near future.
Furthermore, Asia Pacific is predicted to offer potential growth opportunities for the players operating in the UV disinfection equipment market in the next few years.
The increasing investments in order to offer effective wastewater treatment technologies are likely to accelerate the growth of the Asia Pacific market in the coming years.

Cedar Heights residents on boil water advisory.
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District has issued a boil-water advisory for the Cedar Heights water system.
High turbidity levels have been detected in the system’s drinking water supply.
High turbidity (cloudiness) levels may occur in surface water sources due to seasonal weather changes causing excessive surface runoff, flooding or lake turnover.
A high turbidity level may impair the effectiveness of the disinfection treatment system.
The CSRD and Interior Health recommend that children, the elderly, people with weakened immune systems and anyone seeking additional protection to drink boiled water or a safe alternative.
For these at-risk populations, water intended for drinking, washing fruits and vegetables, making beverages or ice, or brushing teeth should be boiled for one minute.
Boiled water should then be refrigerated in a clean covered container.
Users could also choose to use bottled or distilled water, or water than has been filtered through a well-maintained treatment device.
The regional district will inform users once the boil water advisory has been removed.

More Westside water woes.
UPDATE: 3:10 p.m.
The City of West Kelowna is issuing a water quality advisory for users of the Pritchard and Sunnyside Water Systems due to increased turbidity in water drawn from Okanagan Lake.
Increased turbidity, caused by spring runoff and flooding activity, can mean bacteria, viruses and microorganisms can attach themselves to suspended particles in the turbid water.
These particles can interfere with disinfection by shielding the micro-organisms from the chlorine.
It’s recommended that children, the elderly, people with weakened immune system and anyone wishing to seek additional protection bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute or use an alternate, safe source of water, for drinking, brushing teeth, preparing food and mixing baby formula.
ORIGINAL: 2:30 p.m.
The Regional District of Central Okanagan has upgraded a previous water quality advisory and has issued a boil-water notice for residents served by the Killiney Beach and Westshore Estates water systems.
Turbidity can interfere with disinfection, limiting chlorine’s ability to remove or inactivate viruses, bacteria and parasites.
Until further notice, the regional district and Interior Health recommend customers drink boiled water or a safe alternative.

Boil water advisory issued for Sorrento.
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District has issued a boil water advisory for the Sorrento water system.
High turbidity levels, which is cloudiness due to suspended sediment, have been detected in the Sorrento Water System’s drinking water supply.
High turbidity levels may occur in surface water sources due to seasonal weather changes causing excessive surface runoff, flooding or lake turnover.
This may impair the effectiveness of the disinfection treatment system.
If disinfection is impaired, disease-causing micro-organisms may escape into the water distribution system, resulting in an increase risk of intestinal illness.
The CSRD and Interior Health recommend that children, the elderly, people with weakened immune systems and anyone seeking additional protection to drink boiled water or a safe alternative.
For these at-risk populations, water intended for drinking, washing fruits and vegetables, making beverages or ice, or brushing teeth should be boiled for one minute.
Boiled water should then be refrigerated in a clean covered container.
The advisory is in effect immediately and until further notice from the CSRD.