All affected systems at the Emporia Water Treatment Plant are back up and running, just not at full capacity quite yet.
Emporia Public Works Director Dean Grant offered an update to KVOE News on the situation at the plant after mechanical failures led to high turbidity in the city’s water and a boil water advisory by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment Tuesday morning which remains in effect for Emporia and many surrounding communities. Grant explained that crews managed to restore the majority of systems by late Wednesday, including the plant’s ozone system, however, most of them are running without the usual level of “redundancies” that would normally be in place.
KVOE News asked if there are any concerns of additional failures with said reduction in redundancies to which he replied there are no concerns at this time due largely to the lower flows they see during the colder months. Grant says the next steps in the process will be to see better settling in their basins, clearer water and more efficiency in the plant’s filters.
Once those developments occur, Grant says they will be able to flush the system and begin the testing process through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. As previously reported by KVOE News, City Manager Trey Cocking says that while Friday is the earliest the city could see the ongoing boil advisory lifted, he believes the wait will likely be just a bit longer.
In the meantime, KDHE has several recommendations for residents to follow as the advisory continues.
*Boil water for one minute before drinking or food preparation or use bottled water for both humans and pets.
*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.
If you do consume water that has not been boiled prior you should monitor for symptoms of digestional distress and illness and if you start to become ill contact a physician right away.
In addition to Emporia, the boil water advisory also affects the following systems:
*Olpe and, by extension, Hartford
*Lyon County RWD 2 immediately west of Emporia into far west Chase County
*Lyon County RWD 3, including southwest Lyon County
*Lyon County RWD 4, including Neosho Rapids
*Lyon County RWD 5, including east-central and northeast Lyon County
*Coffey County RWD 2E, including customers in Lyon County
*Park Place Communities mobile park home located east of Emporia on US Highway 50
Following the announcement of the boil advisory Tuesday it did not take long for the local bottled water supply to be nearly depleted. As of Tuesday afternoon, the supply has eased somewhat as several locations received large shipments by late afternoon.
Dillons, Good’s Cash Saver and Walmart were among the businesses that received those substantial restocks with many other locations in Emporia saying they will be restocked no later than Thursday. The boil water advisory did lead to some schedule and operational adjustments for businesses in Emporia.
The latest adjustments can be found under the schedule adjustments page at KVOE.com. If you have operation or schedule adjustments to report please contact KVOE by texting the Bluestem Farm and Ranch text line at 620-342-5863 or email KVOE@KVOE.com.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for more updates as they develop.
8 am Wednesday: Boil Water Advisory Update: City Manager says more than ‘one thing’ resulted in mechanical failure that led to boil advisory Tuesday; Boil advisory possibly lasting into upcoming weekend
The issue that led to an expansive boil water advisory for Emporia and several surrounding areas Tuesday morning was not just “one thing” but rather a cavalcade of issues according to an update from Emporia City Manager Trey Cocking Wednesday morning.
KDHE has several recommended steps during boil water advisories:
*Boil water for one minute before drinking or food preparation or use bottled water for both humans and pets.
*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.
City leadership was hopeful that the advisory may be lifted by Friday at the earliest, however, Cocking says given the extensive amount of work and procedures still ahead it may be a bit longer before the advisory is called off.
KVOE has received several calls from local residents with questions since the advisory was issued including residents asking what they should do if they happen to ingest water prior to boiling it.
KVOE posed this question to Cocking who says they are still disinfecting the water with chlorine and as previously mentioned he believes the plant’s ozone system should be up and running at full capacity by the end of the day Wednesday.
In the meantime, individuals should keep an eye out for any digestional issues if they have consumed unboiled water and if they notice themselves becoming ill after they should contact their physician.
In addition to Emporia, the boil water advisory also effects the following systems:
*Olpe and, by extension, Hartford
*Lyon County RWD 2 immediately west of Emporia into far west Chase County
*Lyon County RWD 3, including southwest Lyon County
*Lyon County RWD 4, including Neosho Rapids
*Lyon County RWD 5, including east-central and northeast Lyon County
*Coffey County RWD 2E, including customers in Lyon County
*Park Place Communities mobile park home located east of Emporia on US Highway 50
Following the announcement of the boil advisory Tuesday it did not take long for the local bottled water supply to be nearly depleted. As of Tuesday afternoon, the supply has eased somewhat as several locations received large shipments by late afternoon.
Dillons, Good’s Cash Saver and Walmart were among the businesses that received those substantial restocks with many other locations in Emporia saying they will be restocked no later than Thursday.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for more updates as they develop.
