The following provides information about a Boil Water Notice, what to expect and what to do when such a notice is issued.
The Safe Drinking Water Act, enacted in 1974, has been amended by the EPA numerous times. The Oregon Health Authority rules require public water systems to notify users within 24 hours when certain contaminants (e.g., E. coli ) are present in a water sample, or when pressure is lost in the whole or any portion of the distribution system. If contaminants are present all users must be notified; in the case of pressure loss, only those effected need be notified. The notification must state the reason and advise users to boil the water before using or use an alternate source of safe drinking water (e.g., bottled or stored water) until further notice. This notification is often referred to as a `Boil Water Notice`.
There are several possible reasons why the distribution system can lose pressure. One cause is a power outage. Another is a breach to the system such as a broken pipe. Yet another is a scheduled repair on a portion of the system. In the case of a planned outage, effected users will be notified prior to water being turned off.
GVMWD acknowledges water loss to customers is a great inconvenience. The water system`s first priority is to restore water service as soon as possible after a power outage or other incidents effecting the whole system. Drinking water quality and the health and welfare of users is equally important. Water samples must be taken from any portion of the system which has experienced a water loss to determine if any disease-causing organisms have entered the system. Test results are obtained after a test procedure by an accredited laboratory. Boil Water Notices can only be lifted after test results show no coliform bacteria present in the water samples. This process takes at least 24 hours. GVMWD will inform users when the Boil Water Notice has been lifted.
If you have been notified of a Boil Water Notice, it means that you should boil or use a safe alternate source of water for human and pet consumption, food preparation, cooking, ice making, cleaning food contact surfaces, brushing teeth, rinsing mouth or gargling, and eye washing. A general guideline is to bring the water to a rolling boil for at least one minute, then let cool. Other domestic water uses such as bathing or laundering need not be boiled.