TOPEKA, Kan. – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has issued boil water advisories for the Howison Heights Water District located in Saline County and Ottawa Rural Water District (RWD) No. 2 in Ottawa County. These water supplies experienced a loss of pressure in the respective water systems due to power outages associated with area thunderstorms Thursday. When such a loss of pressure occurs, it is possible for contaminants to enter the system. Chlorine residuals may also drop to levels that are inadequate to protect against bacterial contamination.

Effective immediately, 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.
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.
If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.

Public water suppliers in Kansas take all measures necessary to notify customers quickly after a system failure. Regardless of whether it’s the supplier or KDHE that announces a boil water advisory, KDHE will issue the rescind order following testing at the Kansas Health and Environmental Laboratories.