The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) issued a boil water advisory Saturday for the City of Belle Plaine public water supply system located in Sumner County.
KDHE officials issued the advisory because of a line 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.
The advisory will remain in effect until the conditions that placed the system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved. Regardless of whether the public water supplier or the KDHE announced a boil water advisory, only the KDHE can issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.