Updated: Wichita placed under boil water advisory for second time in eight months

Update 10:09 p.m.: The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has rescinded the boil water advisory for the area between Rock Road and Webb Road from 21st Street to 53rd Street North.

Original story

Wichita has been placed under a boil water advisory, as of 4:15 p.m. Tuesday. At a press conference, city officials said the earliest the advisory could be lifted is Wednesday evening.

“During routine maintenance at the water treatment plant, for a short period of time, an unexpected water quality change occurred, resulting in a slight increase in turbidity,” a city news release states.

A news release from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment termed the condition high turbidity and said the advisory would remain in effect “until the conditions that placed the system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved.”

“High turbidity can lead to a loss of chlorine residual levels and may result in microbial contamination,” the KDHE news release said.

The city said in its release that the problem has been corrected and water is being treated. But Wichita water consumers are still advised to boil water prior to consumption.

Once a boil water advisory has been issued, only the KDHE can rescind it after testing has been conducted by a certified laboratory — a process that takes at least 24 hours.

Last October, a major water main break and subsequent boil water advisory left the roughly half a million Kansans who rely on Wichita’s supply without reliable drinking water for 36 hours.

Several suburban cities and rural water districts rely on Wichita’s water supply. Here are the ones that are also under a boil water advisory, KDHE said: Kechi, Rose Hill, Valley Center, Sedgwick County’s rural water districts 1, 2 and 3, and El Paso Water Co., which serves Derby.

KDHE provides these tips for observing the boil water advisory:

• 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 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 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.

Contributing: Michael Stavola of The Eagle

This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 4:45 PM.