Residents in multiple areas of the country are being asked to boil their drinking water to avoid potential health hazards.
Officials in at least four cities and one village in Pennsylvania, Kansas, Texas, Ohio and Florida warned locals on Tuesday that a variety of issues could allow potentially harmful microbes to flourish if tap water is not boiled before consumption.
A boil water advisory was issued on Saturday for the city of Davistown in Greene County, Pennsylvania, due to a power outage that caused a water tank to drain. As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, the East Dunkard Water Authority was still warning that “customers in the Davistown area should not drink water without boiling it first.”
“Once normal operating levels are obtained in the tank, East Dunkard Water Authority will begin collecting and analyzing additional water quality samples including bacteria samples,” an update shared online states. “This Boil Water Advisory is expected to remain in effect for several more days until we can ensure the water meets all quality standards.”
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) issued a boil water advisory for Cawker City, Mitchell County, on Monday due to a waterline break and resulting loss of pressure in the system, asking residents to boil their water for at least one minute before using it.
“The advisory took effect on July 29 and will remain in effect until the conditions that placed the system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved,” the KDHE advisory states. “Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.”
The city of Post, Texas, issued a boil water notice on Tuesday due to a loss of pressure while attempting to replace a water main, saying in a news release that “all residents and businesses are advised to boil their water before using it for drinking, cooking, or any other consumable purposes.”
Post residents were urged to bring water to “a vigorous rolling boil” for at least two minutes before using it “until further notice.”
Officials in the city of Zanesville, Ohio, issued a “precautionary boil alert” on Tuesday, applying to approximately 100 residents due to an issue caused by an emergency water main repair, according to local radio station WHIZ.
In Florida, a water main repair was also the root cause of a boil water advisory being issued in the village of Wellington, which is near West Palm Beach. Village officials said on Monday that the advisory would remain in place “until two consecutive days of bacteriological samples have produced satisfactory results.”
Newsweek reached out for comment to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC) via email on Tuesday evening.
During a boil water advisory, the CDC recommends that tap water is brought to a full rolling boil for at least one minute before being used for drinking or other forms of consumption, including brushing teeth or preparing food.
In most cases, the CDC says, it is safe to use tap water under a boil advisory for activities like washing your hands, washing clothes or taking a shower if the water is not swallowed.
Tap water that is under a boil water advisory should be boiled regardless of whether it has gone through a home water filter or a pitcher-based water filtration system.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
