What is a water emergency?

A water emergency occurs when a water supply becomes contaminated.

Water emergencies often result in what is called a "Boil Water" alert. Water supplies can become contaminated due to a natural event such as a flood or by a failure of infrastructure, such as a water main break or pipe failure, or by construction accidents.

Findings published by the Water Quality Association reveal there are approximately 700 water main breaks in the United Sates daily, and that our water pipes may be from 40 to 80 years old - even older in the Northeast. WQA goes on to state, "While not every water main break results in a boil water alert... any break in a pipe that supplies drinking water could possibly result in contamination of the water supply."

No matter where you live, here are a few simple steps you can take to safeguard your family's health in a water emergency.

If your household is under a Boil Water alert:

• Do NOT drink tap water
• Do NOT use ice made from recent tap water
• Do NOT use tap water to make drinks, juices or fountain soft drinks
• Cook with tap water ONLY if food is boiled for at least one minute
• Brush your teeth ONLY in boiled or bottled water
• Wash dishes, fruits & vegetables ONLY in boiled or bleached water
• Do NOT use your dishwasher
• Wash hands and bathe as usual, taking care NOT to swallow water
• Wash laundry as usual

When a Boil Water alert has been lifted:

• FLUSH faucets for a total of 10 minutes to introduce system water throughout house plumbing
• FLUSH any faucet for a minimum of 2 minutes to clear the line serving the faucet DISCARD any drinks made during the alert
• REWASH any food or drink contact items with "cleared" system water (silverware, plates, glasses, etc.)
• CHECK water filters and replace as necessary
• Do NOT use water from your hot water heater for drinking until several exchanges of the tank have occurred
• RUN the dishwasher through at least two cycles before washing dishes
• SANITIZE your water treatment equipment with Sani-System