City primes water distribution stations in case of test failure, official says
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Wichita boil water advisory
A major Wichita water main break on Oct. 7, 2021, led the Kansas Department of Heath and Environment to place the city and others that purchase water from its system under a boil water advisory.
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The city of Wichita could set up drinking water stations if tests fail to show the drinking water is safe, Director of Public Works and Utilities Alan King said.
The city expects to find out Saturday morning whether the Kansas Department of Health and Environment will rescind a boil water advisory for more than half a million Wichita water customers after a main waterline break dropped pressure to unsafe levels across the water supply system Thursday afternoon.
If the city fails, it has two plans, King said.
Plan A: “We can look at the tests that didn’t pass and find out the local areas that those tests represent and have the boil order restricted to a certain area instead of citywide,” King said.
Plan B: “We have two stations that we can put up immediately that will provide water to those customers who either can’t or won’t boil their water,” King said at a Friday morning news conference. “And if we find that we’re looking at a more prolonged period of boil advisory, we’ll stand up those stations and make sure everybody knows where they can go and water would be provided at no cost.”
King did not say where the distribution sites would be located. He said the city is operating under the hope the tests come back clear of bacteria.
“We don’t think that’s an unreasonable hope,” King said. “We should have that information as Saturday one way or the other. And so what we were looking to do is before we took the more extraordinary steps, like setting up the water distribution sites, that we would be informed with the best information which we should have fairly soon.”
The reason the testing takes so long is that the water must incubate for at least 24 hours before it can be tested, King said. He said he should find out more about the tests at 2 a.m. on Saturday.
The line break shouldn’t change how much water bills increase next year, King said.
“There should be no impact to our rates for our customers,” King said.
“We have water main breaks year-round, almost every day, and so that’s part of our ongoing operations,” he said. “This will be easily absorbed into our existing operating budget without any kind of potential rate increase.”
City of Wichita water customers should take the following precautions until the boil advisory ends:
▪ 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.
▪ Supervise children while they’re bathing and make sure water is not ingested.
▪ Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.
This story was originally published October 8, 2021 at 11:26 AM.
