State issues boil order for city of Galena

Dec. 17—GALENA, Kan. — The city of Galena is under a boil order issued by the The Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

KDHE officials issued the advisory because of a waterline break resulting in a loss of pressure in the distribution system. The state said failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.

State officials say 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.

—Although 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 Saturday and will remain in effect until the conditions that placed the system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved.

Only KDHE can issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.

People with questions can contact the water system at 620-783-5265, or KDHE at 785-296-5514. For consumer information visit KDHE’s PWS Consumer Information webpage: kdhe.ks.gov/waterdisruption

Restaurants and other food businessets that have questions about the impact of the boil water advisory on their business can contact the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s food safety & lodging program at kda.fsl@ks.gov or call 785-564-6767.