Boil water advisory issued for Wilson County

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has issued a boil water advisory for the Wilson County Rural Water District #13 public water supply system located in Wilson County.

A news release from the KDHE said the advisory was issued because of a waterline break resulting in a loss of pressure in the distribution system.  Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.

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.

Whether the public water supplier or the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) announced a boil water advisory, only KDHE can issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.

For consumer questions, please contact the water system at 620-378-2182, or KDHE at 785-296-5514. For consumer information, click here.

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 & lodging program at kda.fsl@ks.gov or call 785-564-6767.

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