It may be midweek at the earliest before Madison residents can consumer water without having to boil it first.
The boil water advisory, issued Thursday afternoon, remains in place for the community until testing can be done on water samples through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. According to Madison Mayor Paul Dean, who was unavailable for a recorded interview, current plans are to collect test samples and have them delivered to the KDHE labs by Tuesday.
He says if all goes according to plan, and all tests come back negative for contamination, the boil advisory could be lifted by Wednesday. The advisory, issued last Thursday, followed a water main break that was the result of a replacement project for a stormwater conversion channel that dates back around 100 years, according to Dean.
Most of the precast box culverts have been installed as part of the project, but a piece of concrete was sent into an open hole and punctured a water main. Madison had a boil water advisory in October. Dean says that the incident developed after a trackhoe clipped a water main.
Steps to ensure water safety are as follows:
• 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.
Affected residents with questions can contact the water system at 620-437-2556 or KDHE at 785-296-5514.
