Boil water advisory issued in three Kansas counties
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — State health officials have issued a boil water advisory that spans three counties southeast of Wichita.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says the advisory is for many public water supply systems in Chautauqua, Elk, and Montgomery counties:
Chautauqua County Rural Water District 1
Chautauqua County Rural Water District 2
Chautauqua County Rural Water District 3
Chautauqua County Rural Water District 4
City of Chautauqua
City of Cedar Vale
City of Peru
City of Sedan
Elk County Rural Water District 1
City of Grenola
City of Moline
City of Longton
Montgomery County Rural Water District 1C
The KDHE says those water systems purchased water from the Public Wholesale Water Supply District (WSD) 20, and the water supplier cannot currently maintain the minimum required chlorine residual. When that happens, the system can be at risk for bacterial contamination.
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Customers should observe the following precautions until further notice:
Boil water for one minute before 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 immersing them for at least one minute in clean tap water containing one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.
Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. However, children must be supervised while bathing to prevent water from being ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.
The advisory will remain in effect until the KDHE rescinds the order. That won't happen until the problem is fixed and the water has been tested at a certified laboratory.
If you have consumer questions, please contact your water system or KDHE at 785-296-5514. For consumer information, please visit KDHE's Public Water Supply Consumer Information webpage .
Restaurants and other food establishments with questions about the boil water advisory's impact on their business can contact the Kansas Department of Agriculture's food safety and lodging program at or call 785-564-6767.
