Two Boil Water Alerts have been issued in the past week by the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) for areas in DeSoto County.
The latest came Wednesday morning when an alert was issued for the Bridgetown, Bakersfield, and Emery Hills subdivisions of Olive Branch. The affected customers number about 600 in those areas, said a MSDH notice.
The alert came because the City of Olive Branch informed MSDH of a pressure loss due to one or more line breaks.
Earlier, the Health Department released a similar alert for residents of the Buena Vista Lakes area of DeSoto County, located in the Love community south of Hernando.
Water system officials there notified the MSDH of a system-wide pressure loss due to an electrical malfunction at the well.
According to the MSDH, when there is a pressure loss, contaminants can siphon back into the water.
Public health officials consider any system that loses pressure contaminated until tests prove otherwise.
With the Boil Water Alerts, residents are in the area are strongly recommended that all water be boiled for at least one minute before being used.
Officials said the system will be notified when tests show that the water is safe to drink again.
About 768 customers are served by the system that services the Buena Vista Lakes area.
The checklist for safe water use includes the following:
Do not drink tap water while the water system is under a boil water advisory.
Do not drink from water fountains in parks, public or private buildings that receive water from the affected system.
Do not use ice unless it has been made with boiled water. Freezing will not necessarily kill harmful bacteria.
Do not use tap water to make drinks, juices, or fountain soft drinks.
Wash your dishes in boiled water, or use paper plates for the next few days.
Wash your fruits and vegetables with boiled or bottled water since they may have been exposed to affected water from grocery store sprayers.
Wash your hands and bathe as usual. Bathing is safe as long as no water is swallowed.
Brush your teeth with boiled or bottled water.
Cook with tap water if the food will be boiled for at least one minute.
Bringing water to a rolling boil for one minute will inactivate all major types of harmful bacteria.