KDHE Issues City-Wide Boil Water Advisory

Update | October 11th, 2023 - 12:27pm

KDHE has rescinded the precautionary boil water advisory for City of Osawatomie public water supply customers. Laboratory testing samples collected from the City of Osawatomie indicate no evidence of bacteriological contamination and all other conditions that placed the system at risk of contamination are deemed by KDHE officials to be resolved.

Regular consumption and use of public water may resume at this time.

Original Post | October 10th, 2023 - 10:15am

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has issued a boil water advisory for the City of Osawatomie public water supply system located in Miami County. The order was triggered by a filtration error at Osawatomie's water plant, which was reported and corrected immediately by City staff. Water samples must be cleared by KDHE's laboratory before the advisory can be rescinded. Please continue to watch official City of Osawatomie channels for updates and/or the notice of the advisory being rescinded.

City of Osawatomie water supply customers should observe the following precautions until further notice:

• 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.

The advisory took effect on October 10, 2023 and will remain in effect until the conditions that placed the system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved. KDHE officials issued the advisory because of potential entry by untreated water into the distribution system due to a filtration error at the water plant.

The offical release from KDHE is attached to this announcement.