UPDATE: Boil Water Advisory Rescinded for Ottawa County Rural Water District 2

Jennifer Lamer -

UPDATE: The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has rescinded a boil water advisory for Boil Water Advisory Issued for the Ottawa Co Rural Water District No. 2, located in Ottawa County.

The advisory was issued because of a loss of pressure in the distribution system. Failure to maintain adequate pressure may put the system at risk for bacterial contamination.

Public water suppliers in Kansas take all measures necessary to notify customers quickly after a system failure or shutdown. Regardless of whether it’s the supplier or KDHE that announces a boil water advisory, KDHE will issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.

Laboratory testing samples collected from the Ottawa Co. Rural Water District No. 2 distribution system indicate no evidence of bacteriological contamination and all other conditions that placed the system at risk of contamination are deemed by KDHE officials to be resolved.

For consumer questions, please contact the water system at 785-823-8605, or KDHE at 785-296-5514. For consumer information please visit KDHE’s PWS Consumer Information webpage: kdhe.ks.gov/waterdisruption 

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has issued a boil water advisory for the Ottawa County Rural Water District 2 public water supply system located in Ottawa County.

Customers should observe the following precautions until further notice:

  • Boil water for one minute prior to 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 advisory took effect on January 29 and will remain in effect until the conditions that placed the system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved. KDHE officials issued the advisory because of a line break resulting in a loss of pressure in the system. Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination. 

Regardless of whether the public water supplier or Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) announced a boil water advisory, only KDHE can issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.

For consumer questions, please contact the water system at 785-823-8605, or KDHE at 785-296-5514. For consumer information please visit KDHE’s PWS Consumer Information webpage: kdhe.ks.gov/waterdisruption 

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 & lodging program at kda.fsl@ks.gov or call 785-564-6767.