Understanding Water Advisories
Power Outages, Severe Storms, Water Main Breaks, & Other Issues Can Trigger Water Advisories. Here's What You Need To Know & How To Plan For A Water Emergency.
Storm season is here.
Heavy rain, damaging winds, and baseball-sized hail pummeled Texas earlier this week, leaving about 1 million businesses and homes without power while other parts of the U.S. recovered from severe weather, including tornadoes, that killed at least 24 people during the Memorial Day weekend.
NOAA National Weather Service forecasters predict above-normal hurricane activity this year, and the season begin in June and runs through November. The forecast has a range from 17 to 25 named storms in total, meaning storms with winds of 39 mph or higher.
Storms and power outages have a huge impact on drinking water quality, along with unexpected man-made disasters such as chemical spills. In many cases, these events along with well problems, loss of water pressure, or loss of disinfection can trigger an advisory. It’s important to know when you get a notice how to take action and protect yourself and your family.
Drinking water advisories mean that tap water could be contaminated. Water systems and state or local agencies issue these advisories when they have concerns about water contamination.
If you feel ill after drinking water during an advisory period, get in touch with your healthcare provider. Symptoms of water-borne illness can include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, cramps, and possibly fever.
There are three main types of advisories. Learn what each one means and which actions to take.
Boil Water Advisory
This alert means you should use bottled water or boil your tap water until the advisory has been lifted. Public utilities issue boil-water orders as a preventive public health advisory, usually when heightened levels of bacteria are detected in the water. Boiling water helps kill both harmful bacteria and parasites.
Use bottled or boiled water for drinking, and to prepare and cook food.
If bottled water is not available, bring water to a full rolling boil for 1 minute (at elevations above 6,500 feet, boil for 3 minutes). After boiling, allow the water to cool before use.
Boil tap water even if it is filtered (for example, by a home water filter or a pitcher that filters water).
Do not use water from any appliance connected to your water line, such as ice and water from a refrigerator.
Breastfeeding is the best infant feeding option. If you formula feed your child, provide ready-to-use formula, if possible.
In many cases, you can use tap water and soap to wash hands during a boil water advisory. Follow the guidance from your local public health officials.
Be careful not to swallow any water when bathing or showering. Use caution when bathing babies and young children. Consider giving them a sponge bath to reduce the chance of them swallowing water.
Brush teeth with boiled or bottled water. Do not use tap water that you have not boiled first.
It is safe to wash clothes as usual.
Do Not Drink Water Advisory
Local health authorities issue a do not drink water advisory when your community’s water is, or could be, contaminated with harmful chemicals and toxins, and when boiling water will not make it safe.
During a do not drink water advisory, use bottled water for:
Drinking and cooking
Brushing teeth
Washing fruits and vegetables
Preparing food
Mixing baby formula
Making ice
Giving water to pets
In some instances, it will be safe to wash hands, flush toilets, and shower; in other instances, it will not. You should be cautious when bathing a baby and young children, as they might swallow water.
Do not drink or use water from any appliance connected to your water supply lines. This includes the water and ice dispensers in your refrigerator, freezer and dishwasher.
Do Not Use Water Advisory
Local health authorities issue a do not use water advisory when your community’s water is, or could be, contaminated with germs, harmful chemicals, toxins, or radioactive materials.
Under this advisory any contact, even with the skin, lungs, or eyes, can be dangerous.
Do not drink or use tap water from the impacted system for any purpose as long as the advisory is in effect, including for bathing.
Source: CDC Drinking Water Advisories
Residents in Charleston, West Virginia, woke up one morning in January 2014 to a water advisory. Many residents remained under a “do-not-use” advisory for more than a week.
They couldn’t brush their teeth, brew a cup of coffee, or make oatmeal that morning thanks to an industrial chemical spill, and not a small one at that. About 10,000 gallons of an unregulated chemical, 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM), leaked from a storage tank into the Elk River. The cause? Corrosion—in the form of a one-inch hole where chemicals seeped out and into the river.
Do-not-drink or use orders like this one, along with boil advisories, are becoming more common in cities and towns throughout the nation. They are indicative of larger drinking water problems at play and show the gaps and failures in our infrastructure.
I could easily estimate that thousands of boil water advisories happen each year in the U.S., but no one is tracking them at the national level. Plus, about 240,000 water-main breaks happen each year, which disrupt water systems and drinking water quality for millions of Americans.
Suddenly losing access to clean water or wondering whether the water is safe to drink is both a huge inconvenience and a health hazard. No one wants to receive this kind of wake-up call.
Create A Water Emergency Plan
It’s a smart idea to think ahead when it comes to access to clean water. You can survive for weeks without consuming food, but only a few days without drinking water.
While you can’t know exactly when storms may hit, it’s a good idea to keep some backup water for emergencies.
Storing unopened bottled water is one of the most reliable and least expensive sources of water in an emergency. You can also consider filling clean containers with tap water, if you live an area where your tap water is deemed safe to drink.
Start by storing at least one gallon of water per person per day for three days for drinking and sanitation, possibly more for pets, pregnant people, newborns, or those with special needs.
Try to store a two-week supply if possible. I know space can be limited in many homes, but maybe you can coordinate with your neighbors or with family members that live nearby.
Your emergency water supply should ideally be stored in a consistently cool, dark location. Storage locations will vary depending on the space you have available in your home, and the size and number of your storage containers. Consider under the bed, in the back of a closet, or other unused spots around your home.
If possible, store parts of your water supply throughout your living space. If a disaster damages part of your home, you will still be able to access emergency water.
Level up your preparedness by learning how to access water from your water heater and having a way to treat additional water.
Questions about water advisories? Do you have a backup water plan at your house? Let us know in the comments below!
This is Fantastic information that everyone should know about. Contaminated water is a major issue