What is a boil water order?
When under a boil water order, City Utilities will instruct affected customers to boil their water in order to kill bacteria and other organisms in the water. Customers should continue to boil water until City Utilities provides notification that the boil water order has been lifted. The order will be lifted only after the situation is fully resolved and laboratory tests confirm the water is no longer contaminated.
What should you do?
During a boil water advisory, customers should do the following:
- DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST.
- The safest and most effective method of water disinfection is to vigorously boil water for at least three full minutes. Fill a pot with cold water and start timing when bubbles pop at the surface. Cool the water before using it for drinking, washing or tooth brushing.
- Store the disinfected water in clean, covered containers.
- Read the Frequently Asked Questions for more information on actions to take.
- Until the boil water order is lifted, use either boiled water that has been cooled, or bottled water, for drinking, brushing teeth, washing fruits and vegetables, cleaning food contact surfaces, preparing food and baby formula, and for making ice.
- Once the notice is lifted: Residents are advised to “flush” their water lines in order to clear plumbing of potentially contaminated water. Household and building water lines include interior and exterior faucets, showers, water and ice dispensers, water treatment units, etc. Please use the following guidelines:
What is City Utilities doing?
During a boil water order, City Utilities will:
- Immediately inform affected areas of the situation using various media, as appropriate. This may include automated calls, door hangers, social media, traditional media, and City Utilities’ website.
- Dispatch water crews to investigate the cause.
- Take corrective action. Water system problems of this type typically require a more intensive and widespread response than those needed for a boil water advisory.
- Collect water samples and send them to a lab for analysis.
- Await lab results. This typically takes about 24 hours.
- Missouri Department of Natural Resources will lift the boil water order once final results are satisfactory and City Utilities will communicate this to affected customers. Note that the duration of this type of notice may be longer than a boil water advisory.
- Inform customers that the boil water order is lifted, typically via the same notification channels used to originally notify customers, and provide instructions on how to flush water lines. Note that this flushing process may be more rigorous than flushing instructions given for boil water advisories.