Boil water advisory issued for Florence

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — People who get their water from the City of Florence’s public water supply system must boil the water before drinking it.

On Tuesday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) issued a boil water advisory for the Florence public water supply system in Marion County. KDHE officials said the water might be at risk for bacterial contamination because the city cannot maintain the minimum required chlorine residual.

The advisory means customers should take these precautions until further notice:

Boil water for one minute before 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 boil water advisory will remain until the system is fixed and the water passes testing at a certified laboratory. Only the KDHE can cancel a boil water advisory.

For consumer questions, please get in touch with the water system at 620-878-4296 or KDHE at 785-296-5514. For consumer information, click here for the KDHE’s PWS Consumer Information website.

Restaurants and other food establishments that have questions about the impact of the boil water advisory on their business can contact the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s food safety and lodging program at [email protected] or call 785-564-6767.