Boil Water Advisory Issued For Rush County Rural Water District No. 1

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and Rush County Rural Water District No. 1 have issued a boil water advisory for Rush County Rural Water District No. 1, located in NW Rush County. KDHE and the RWD issued the advisory because the distribution system is experiencing low water pressure which creates the potential for backflow incidents and bacteriological contamination.

The advisory took effect on Friday, July 25, 2003, and will remain in effect until such time pressures increase and testing of samples indicate no evidence of contamination and all other conditions which place the system at risk of contamination are deemed by KDHE officials to be adequately resolved.

Anyone served by the affected public water system should observe the following precautions:

1. Boil water vigorously for one minute prior to use. Use only boiled water for drinking, diluting fruit juices, and all other food preparation.
2. Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker. Remake ice cubes with water that has been boiled.
3. 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.
4. Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing or using backyard pools so water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.

The system and/or KDHE will notify customers and area media when the boil water advisory has been rescinded. For more information, call David Derr, Rush Co. RWD #1 at (785) 394-2417, or call Sharon Watson, KDHE, Topeka at (785) 296-5795.

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