Did you run out to buy bottled water after city said to boil water? Many shoppers did

Water bottle shelves in grocery stores started to empty Tuesday evening after the city said Wichita is under a boil water advisory for at least 24 hours.

This is the second boil water advisory in eight months. The first lasted 36 hours.

The advisory was prompted by an unexpected quality change in the water, resulting in an increase in turbidity, the city said. Only the Kansas Department of Health and Environment can rescind the advisory.

The advisory was announced at 4:15 p.m. Several stores had posted announcements limiting the purchase of water bottles by Tuesday evening.

“Limit of 2 Cases/Gallons of Water per customer,” an announcement posted in a Wichita Dillons said.

Some shoppers were frustrated. Others didn’t mind.

“I just don’t want to get sick,” Walmart shopper Dorothy Hain said. “So I told a lot of people I’ve seen at our apartment complex, ‘Hey, they got this going on, did you hear it?’ No. ‘Well, you need to get your water.’”

This is not the first time shopper Amy Blancoe has had to stock up for water. She took the same steps eight months ago.

“I wish we would have stayed stocked up,” Blancoe said.

Shopper Ann Pitson was frustrated by having to worry about the water again.

“This seems to be going on all the time,” Pitson said.

Shopper Marcy Zily, on the other hand, wasn’t that bothered by the announcement. She said she just took the safety precautions and continued on.

“You know, all the things that are going on these days, this is minor. Just get some water, and wait for them to fix it,” Zily said.

Dillon’s shopper Aaron Meister said that he didn’t think much when the boil advisory was announced, and only went to buy water because his wife told him.

“The water situation was much like every situation. People completely overreact,” Meister said. “Anytime somebody hears that there’s a shortage of something, I think they overreact and try to go out and buy the water, and I think we have plenty of water to go around.”

To stay safe during the advisory, KDHE recommends:

• 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.

This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 9:20 PM.