Which Acadiana areas are under a boil advisory?
- St. Martinville: Crews will shut city water off at 10 p.m. Wednesday, May 18 for repairs, expected to take two hours. A boil advisory until further notice will follow.
- Prairie Rhone on McGuffy Road due to line break
- Prairie Rhonde on Frank Road: Until further notice
Which areas have had recent boil advisories lifted?
- Lafayette Parish Waterworks District North (5/12)
- Cankton Water System (5/12)
- Hathaway (5/11)
- Basile (4/29)
- Prairie Ronde Water System (4/25)
What do I need to do in a boil advisory?
- Bring your water to a full rolling boil for one minute.
- Allow the water to cool before use. Cooling may take up to 30 minutes, so prepare ahead.
- Boil your water for all cooking, washing, brushing teeth, and drinking, including washing foods and for use in baby formulas. Boil tap water even if it is filtered, as most kitchen and other household water filters typically do not remove bacteria or viruses.
- Turn off automatic ice makers
- Replace water filters, as they are disposable and may be contaminated, including carbon filters.
- If you don’t like the taste of boiled water, you can try adding a pinch of salt, letting the water stand for a few hours or pouring the cooled boiled water back and forth from one clean glass or container into another to add air to the water, according to the CDC.
If you are unable to boil your water, disinfect it instead.
If tap water is clear:
- Use unscented bleach (bleach that does not have an added scent).
- Add 1/8 teaspoon (8 drops or about 0.75 milliliters) of unscented household liquid bleach to 1 gallon (16 cups) of water.
- Mix well and wait 30 minutes or more before drinking.
- Store disinfected water in clean container with a cover.
If tap water is cloudy:
- Filter water using clean cloth.
- Use unscented bleach (bleach that does not have an added scent).
- Add 1/4 teaspoon (16 drops or 1.5 milliliters) of unscented household liquid bleach to 1 gallon (16 cups) of water.
- Mix well and wait 30 minutes or more before drinking.
- Store disinfected water in clean container with a cover.
- Remember that containers may need to be sanitized before using them to store safe water.
To sanitize containers:
- Use unscented bleach (bleach that does not have an added scent).
- Make a sanitizing solution by mixing 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) of unscented household liquid bleach in 1 quart (32 ounces, 4 cups, or about 1 liter) of water.
- Pour this sanitizing solution into a clean storage container and shake well, making sure that the solution coats the entire inside of the container.
What does a boil advisory mean?
Cities, towns, and water districts may issue a boil advisory whenever pressure in a water main drops below a certain threshold established by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. This usually happens when there is a major break in a mainline or when repairs are being made in a water line.
The reason a boil advisory is issued is that when pressure is low (below 20 psi), it can allow material from the surrounding soil to enter a water line. When pressure is high, that pressure typically keeps outside material from entering breaks in water lines.
Boil advisories remain in place until fixes are made in the water lines and the Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) can perform tests on the water to ensure that no outside material, including soil and microbes, can be found in pressurized water. This is usually a 24-48 hour process, though at times, it can last longer. The boil advisory is lifted when the results from DHH show “all clear.”
See a Frequently Asked Questions document for more information.