Boil water notices issued

By Staff
Special to the Star
September 17, 2004
QUITMAN Boil water notices were issued Thursday for customers of three area water associations that apparently lost power during Hurricane Ivan.
The Mississippi State Department of Health issued the alerts affecting:
2,000 customers who get their drinking water from Harmony Water Association #1, #2, #4, #5 and #7-N Enterprise in Clarke County;
34 customers of the East Quitman Water Association on County Road 420 in Clarke County; and,
520 customers in DeKalb of the Kipling Water Association #1.
Officials said all three systems lost pressure due to the loss of power. When a distribution system loses pressure, contaminants can siphon back into the water supply. Public health officials consider any system that loses pressure contaminated until tests prove otherwise.
Health officials recommend that all water for consumption be boiled vigorously for one minute before it is consumed; bringing water to a rolling boil for one minute will destroy all major types of harmful bacteria.
Customers will be notified when tests show the water is safe to drink.