Boil advisory lifted for one western Iowa town, remains in effect for others

A water boil advisory for a western Iowa town has been lifted after two weeks.According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, water samples for the city of Avoca have returned as negative for bacteria. The city had been under a water boil advisory since May 14. However, advisories for other cities within the Regional Water Rural Water District remain in effect as they are at various stages of collecting and analyzing water samples. Those tests are expected to be complete by Tuesday.The advisory was prompted by a systemwide pressure loss.Despite the expected boil advisories being lifted in the coming days, drought conditions continue to affect the southwest Iowa region. The DNR warns residents to limit water usage until a temporary booster station is installed connecting the water system to the city of Council Bluffs. If water usage goes beyond the system’s capacity, the city water towers could lose pressure, and if pressure dips below 20 PSI, boil advisories will be issued.Residents are encouraged to limit or avoid watering or irrigating lawns and avoid washing vehicles. Businesses that wash vehicles as their only means of income are allowed to use water, but are restricted to the hours between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.Private swimming pools should not be filled and water shouldn’t be used to clean streets, driveways or sidewalks.Large-volume water users are asked to scale back services and production.In Des Moines, Central Iowa Water Works is also asking customers to cut back on water usage, namely lawn irrigation.