BOIL WATER ADVISORIES ISSUED FOR
CITY OF EASTON AND PORTIONS OF ATCHISON CO. RWD #5C

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has issued boil water advisories for the entire city of Easton, and for portions of Atchison County Rural Water District #5C located south of Highway 116 and East of the Delaware River.

The city of Easton's public water supply wells are under water, due to flooding, and drinking water is not being produced. In order to protect public health, KDHE has issued a boil water advisory for the city until further notice.

In Atchison County RWD #5C (south of Highway 116 and East of the Delaware River), there are 62 service connections without water service due to a major line break. The break occurred in a flooded area, which means untreated floodwaters likely have entered the public water system. The area affected is located north of Valley Falls and was formerly known as Atchison County RWD #4 before being absorbed by RWD #5C.

Residents in both advisory areas should continue to boil their water until further notice. The advisories will remain in effect until testing of water 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 systems should observe the following precautions:

• Boil water vigorously for one minute prior to use. Boiling longer than three minutes may adversely affect the quality and taste of the water.
• Use only boiled water for drinking, diluting fruit juices, and all other food preparation.
• Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker. Remake ice cubes with water that has been boiled.
• 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 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The system and/or KDHE will notify area media when the boil water advisory has been rescinded. For more information, call Sharon Watson, KDHE, Topeka at (785) 296-5795.

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