Water Warning: Possible Water Contamination in Southern Missouri

Southern Missouri residents need to take precautions with their drinking water because it may have been affected by electrical power disruptions caused by the latest winter ice storm, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources is warning.

Due to the severe winter weather in the southern half of the state over the past few days, some public water systems have experienced low water pressure and, in some instances, complete water outages, the department explains in a news release.

The cause may be loss of power to pump water to people's homes or water lines breaking due to the extremely cold weather. Low pressure and broken lines allow contaminants to enter drinking water, so people in these situations need to consider boiling their drinking water.

While loss of pressure does not necessarily mean the water has been contaminated, it does mean there is the potential that contamination inside houses, businesses and factories could flow backward into the water system and be carried to customers. The normal pressure of the water supply system would prevent this contamination.

Boil Water Procedures

� Boil water vigorously for three minutes prior to use. Use only boiled water for drinking, brushing teeth, diluting fruit juices and all other food preparation or consumption. Use of bottled water may be a feasible, though relatively expensive, alternative to boiling tap water when under a boil water order.

� Do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker or use any ice made with un-boiled water from this system. Make ice cubes with water that has been boiled or purchase ice.

� Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersing for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.

�Allow water to cool sufficiently before drinking.Water used for hand washing or bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing to ensure they do not ingest water.