KDHE issues boil water advisory for Uniontown

TOPEKA -- The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued a boil water advisory for the public water supply located in the city of Uniontown.

KDHE officials issued the advisory because of a loss of pressure in the system. Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chorine residuals and bacterial contamination, a KDHE news release said.

The advisory took effect Tuesday and will remain in effect until power is restored and all other conditions which place the system at risk of contamination are deemed by KDHE officials to be adequately resolved, the release said.

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 ice maker.

* 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 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 announce a boil water advisory, KDHE will issue the rescind order following testing at the Kansas Health and Environmental Laboratories, the release said.