Boil water advisory ends for some, continues for others

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A boil water advisory that started 10 days ago and spanned three counties southeast of Wichita has ended for some water customers, but it continues for others.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has ended the advisory for public water supply system customers in:

• The City of Moline,
• The City of Sedan, and
• The City of Cedar Vale.

On Wednesday, the KDHE said the cities’ water samples were tested at a laboratory, and there was no evidence of contamination. The KDHE has also deemed that the conditions that placed the systems at risk have been resolved.

However, the boil water advisory continues for these Chautauqua, Elk, and Montgomery county water systems:

• Chautauqua County Rural Water District 1
• Chautauqua County Rural Water District 2
• Chautauqua County Rural Water District 3
• Chautauqua County Rural Water District 4
• City of Chautauqua
• City of Peru
• Elk County Rural Water District 1
• City of Grenola
• City of Longton
• Montgomery County Rural Water District 1C

The KDHE said the water systems purchased water from the Public Wholesale Water Supply District (WSD) 20, and the water supplier could not maintain the minimum required chlorine residual. When that happens, the system can be at risk for bacterial contamination.

While under a boil water advisory, customers should observe the following precautions:

• Boil water for one minute before 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 immersing them for at least one minute in clean tap water containing one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.
• Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. However, children must be supervised while bathing to prevent water from being ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.

The advisory will remain in effect until the KDHE rescinds the order. That won’t happen until the problem is fixed and the water has been tested at a certified laboratory.

If you have consumer questions, please contact your water system or KDHE at 785-296-5514 . For consumer information, please visit KDHE’s Public Water Supply Consumer Information webpage .

Restaurants and other food establishments with questions about the boil water advisory’s impact 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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