ATHENS CO., OH (WCMH) — A boil order was issued for certain areas in the city of Athens Saturday evening.
552-600 West Union Street is currently under a boil order.
The city of Athens says residents should keep in mind the following while the boil order is in effect:
-Bring water to a full boil, and boil for three minutes prior to use.
-Use only boiled water for drinking, preparing food or baby formula.
-To improve the flat taste of boiled water, keep cold in refrigerator.
-Put a cup over your faucets as a reminder to not use tap water – not even to brush your teeth!
-Instead of boiling water, you can disinfect water by adding one teaspoon unscented chlorine laundry bleach for every five gallons of water. Let stand 30 minutes before using.
-Be sure to use sanitized food grade containers for storing water.
-To disinfect water storage containers, pour a solution of one tablespoon of unscented chlorine bleach to a gallon of water into a container. Let the solution remain in the container for 10 minutes, then pour out the solution. Rinse with purified water.
-Dispose of ice cubes made when a boil order is in place.
-When washing dishes, make sure to sterilize dishes with a final dip in water that has one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water. Disposable tableware is an option during a boil order.
-Water for bathing doesn’t need to be boiled. Supervise children to avoid water being ingested.
-Immuno-compromised persons such as those with cancer receiving chemotherapy, organ transplant recipients, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, elderly people, and infants may be more susceptible to infection by Crytosporidium and other microbial contaminants, and should be extra careful.
The boil order does not mean the water is definitely contaminated but your public water provider cannot know for sire until 24 hours after a sample is taken. The city of Athens will automatically lift the order after 24 hours if the tests show no contaminant is present.
Residents can call the boil order hotline at (740) 594-5078 for more information.
At this time the boil order is set to expire on Monday, September 4, at 7pm.
