Boil water advisory issued for Hiawatha - WIBW
Boil water advisory issued for Hiawatha
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - A boil water advisory was issued for the City of Hiawatha in Brown County, Kan.
Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) officials said they issued a boil water advisory for the water supply system located in Brown County.
KDHE officials said customers should observe the following precautions until further notice:
- Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation or use bottled water.
- Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker.
- If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.
- Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.
- Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing so that water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.
KDHE officials said the advisory took effect on July 29 and will remain in effect until the conditions that placed the system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved. KDHE officials said they issued the advisory because the city cannot currently maintain the minimum required chlorine residual. Failure to maintain required chlorine residual levels may put the system at risk for bacterial contamination.
According to KDHE officials, regardless of whether the public water supplier or KDHE announced a boil water advisory, only KDHE can issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.
For consumer questions, KDHE officials said to please contact the water system at 785-742-7417, or KDHE at 785-296-5514. For consumer information, please visit KDHE’s PWS Consumer Information webpage.
KDHE officials noted restaurants and other food establishments that have questions about the impact of the boil water advisory on their business can contact the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s food safety and lodging program at kda.fsl@ks.gov. or call 785-564-6767.
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