Boil Notices
Boil Water Notices may be issued to protect people from drinking water that may be contaminated with disease-causing organisms. Loss of pressure, loss of disinfection, water line breaks, and treatment disruptions are all reasons a boil notice may be issued. Before the boil notice can be lifted, the water must be sampled and analyzed for safety; this process can take a few days.
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If a boil water notice is in effect, we will make every effort to contact you immediately by knocking on your door, sending an email, or hanging a paper notice on your door. You can also check our website for updates.
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If a boil water notice is in effect, please follow the guidelines below:
Please use commercially bottled water or boil your tap water. If commercially bottled water is not available, boil your tap water. To kill germs, bring water to a full rolling boil for 1 minute. To avoid burns, allow boiled water to cool before you use it.
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Boil your tap water even if you filter it. For example, still boil tap water if it has been through a home water filter or a pitcher that filters water.
Drinking and cooking
Use commercially bottled water or boiled water for drinking and to prepare and cook food. If you feed your child formula, provide ready-to-use formula if possible.
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Handwashing
In many cases, you can use tap water and soap to wash your hands during a boil water advisory. Follow the advice from your local officials.
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Bathing and showering
Be careful not to swallow any water when bathing or showering.
Use caution when bathing babies and young children. Consider giving them a sponge bath to reduce the chance of them swallowing water.
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Brushing teeth
Brush your teeth using boiled water or commercially bottled water. Do not use tap water that you have not boiled first.
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Washing dishes
If possible, use disposable plates, cups, and utensils during a boil water advisory.
Sanitize all baby bottles.
Dishwashers are generally safe to use if they have a sanitizing cycle or reach a final rinse temperature of at least 150°F (66°C). Check the manual or contact the manufacturer to find out what temperature your dishwater reaches.
To wash dishes by hand:
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Wash and rinse the dishes as you normally would using hot water.
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In a separate basin, add 1 teaspoon of unscented household liquid bleach for each gallon of warm water.
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Soak the rinsed dishes in the water for at least one minute.
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Let the dishes air dry completely before using them again.
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Laundry
It is safe to wash clothes as usual.
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Cleaning
Clean washable toys and surfaces with:
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Commercially bottled water,
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Boiled water, or
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Water that has been disinfected with bleach
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Caring for pets
Give pets commercially bottled water or boiled water that has cooled. Pets can get sick from some of the same germs as people or spread germs to people.
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Caring for your garden and houseplants
You can use tap water for houseplants and gardens, including watering plants you eat.
After the Boil Notice Has Been Lifted
You may find it helpful to flush your pipes after the boil notice is lifted:
- Begin with the sink faucet on the lowest floor
- Slowly open the cold water sink faucet. Opening slowly allows for the release of trapped air and may reduce the banging noise, nkown as a "water hammer" that can occur when water flow and pressure changes as a result of water main repair work
- repeat on each floor, moving from lowest to highest, only opening cold water sink faucets
Once the water runs clear, usually in 5 minutes or less, turn off faucets in the same order, lowest to highest
- You should also flush your refrigerator's water lines
- The next three batches of ice should be thrown out. Ice maker containers should be wiped clean with a solution of two tablespoon of bleach to one gallon of water.
If you still experience problems after performing the above procedures, or if you have any questions, please contact our office.