Copan in boil water situation per officials, due to high turbidity

Officials are saying Copan is in a mandatory boil water situation.

The Copan Fire Department said it came from Mayor Pete Elkins and more information will become available later on.

Residents should use boiled or bottled water for drinking, food preparation, dishwashing, and brushing their teeth.

Washington County Emergency Management said it was issued because the turbidity was too high.

In water, turbidity is a measure of how clear water is. As turbidity increases, the water becomes less clear and more cloudy due to a higher concentration of light-blocking particles like sediment, plankton, or organic by-products.

Washington County Emergency Management said this might have been caused by the rapid rise of the lake level after extended dangerously low lake levels.