Customers of the Fall Creek Falls Utility District are being advised to boil their water (and cool it) before using.
The advisory comes after the utility said they've experienced trouble with their water demand, with water leaks coming from the days of freezing temperatures.
The problems resulted in low tank levels and low system pressure in the drinking water system.
The utility tells customers to:
- Do not drink the water without boiling it first. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for three (3) minutes, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
- Loss of system pressure can introduce disease-causing organisms into the water system. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches. The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice.
- People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at increased risk. These people should seek advice from their health care providers about drinking water.
Once the system is fully restored, they will perform bacteriological tests throughout the system and will tell customers when tests show no bacteria and water boiling is no longer necessary.
To answer questions, you can call the FCFUD at 423-881-5065. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
