Boil Water Advisory ordered by KDHE for City of Effingham

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - A boil watery advisory has been ordered by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for the City of Effingham.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says that on Monday, Oct. 10, it issued a boil water advisory for the City of Effingham public water supply system in Atchison Co.

KDHE said residents in the area should take the following precautions:

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.

The Department noted that the advisory will remain in effect until the conditions which placed the system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved. It said officials issued the advisory due to a line break that resulted in a loss of pressure in the distribution. Failure to maintain adequate pressure could result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.

Regardless of who issued the advisory, KDHE indicated it is the only entity that can rescind the order.