State reassures public on safety of tap water during COVID-19 outbreak

Topeka – As the COVID-19 crisis continues to develop and reports of bottled water shortages make headlines, the Kansas Water Office and Kansas Department of Health and Environment want to remind Kansans the drinking water provided by our public water supply systems is free of viruses and other pathogens.

According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the state’s public water supply systems remain a safe and affordable way to access the water needed for drinking, cooking and maintaining personal hygiene during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Kansans can and should continue to use and drink water from their tap as usual as COVID-19 is not present in drinking water supplies. Disinfection processes like those practiced by public water systems provide protection that includes filtration and disinfection of our raw water supplies. These treatments are effective in removing and/or inactivating viruses.

“The state shares a deep understanding of the importance of a reliable, good quality of water and wastewater services in our daily lives and during a public health crisis,” Kansas Water Office Director Earl Lewis said. “There isn’t a need to switch your normal routine or increase purchase of bottled water to address COVID-19.”

“The track record of our municipal water systems and rural water districts in delivering good drinking water that complies with the federal health-based standards has been consistently outstanding,” Tom Stiles, director of the Bureau of Water at KDHE, said. “For all the worries swirling about with COVID-19, the quality of your drinking water isn’t one of them.”

These are challenging times for our state and nation, but despite the many uncertainties regarding COVID-19, Kansans should take comfort in the fact that the virus does not spread through drinking water supplies. Our state’s public water supply systems remain committed to the uninterrupted delivery of clean and safe drinking water for the duration of this crisis and beyond.

For more information on COVID-19 visit the Kansas Department for Health and Environment’s Resource Center at: www.kdheks.gov/coronavirus