Boil Order Issued for Baldwin City and Wellsville

Kevin Surbaugh

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TOPEKA, KS – The Baldwin City Gazette has learned from KSNT in Topeka that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has issued a boil water advisory for the City of Baldwin City public water supply located in Douglas County. This order affects Wellsville as well as Baldwin City since Wellsville purchases its water from the city of Baldwin City.



According to the KDHE press release,

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.

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 physician.

If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.

The advisory took effect on May 29, 2018, 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 loss of pressure. Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.

Although the KDHE says the order is until further notice, water officials in the Facebook group, Citizens for the Future of Baldwin City, Kansas are saying 12-24 hours. According to the KDHE, the order was issued around 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
KDHE's statement said that regardless of whether the public water supplier or KDHE announced the boil water advisory, only KDHE can issue a cancellation of an advisory following testing at a certified laboratory.