Boil water advisory issued for town in Rush County

MCCRACKEN, Kan. (KSNW) — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued a boil water advisory for the city of McCracken in Rush County.

KDHE officials issued the advisory because a water line break caused low pressure in the distribution system. Failure to maintain adequate pressure could risk 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 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 should be supervised while bathing to prevent water from being ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.

The advisory took effect on July 3, 2024, and will remain in effect until the conditions that placed the system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved.

Only the KDHE can issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.

For consumer questions, please contact the water system at 785-394-2209 or KDHE at 785-296-5514. For consumer information, please visit KDHE’s PWS Consumer Information webpage .

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

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