City repairs broken water line; boil water advisory issued

Early Friday morning, city workers fixed a water line that broke Thursday afternoon near Eighth and Burke streets. Also on Friday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued a boil water advisory for the public water supply in Fort Scott.

According to a news release from the city, a contractor working in the area hit an unmarked 10-inch water main at about 3:15 p.m. City water personnel were dispatched and fought valiantly to find sufficient valves to shut down the main enough to repair it.

The water main was repaired about 4:35 a.m. Friday. Between 1 and 4:30 a.m., many parts of town north of 21st Street will have experienced low-water pressure, the release said.

Many customers will experience air in their service lines. The city recommends flushing water lines starting with the bathroom tub faucet (because these generally are not screened) until entrapped air has a chance to escape. Faucets that do have aerators/screens (such as sink faucets) may get clogged with sediment broken free of the water mains because of entrapped air in the lines.

Remove screens and run water until air has escaped, then clean and replace screens, the release said.

Residents with questions or concerns should call the Water Plant at (620) 223-5160.

The KDHE advisory affects the area of residences and businesses north of 21st Street. KDHE officials issued the advisory because of a line break resulting in a loss of pressure in the system. Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination, a KDHE news release said.

The advisory took effect Friday and will remain in effect until 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 food 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 announces a boil water advisory, KDHE will issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory, the KDHE release said.