UPDATE: Colquitt County Public Information Officer Meghan Barwick announced Friday morning that tests on tap water affected by the boil water advisory earlier this week have come back clear.
Barwick said the water is safe to drink and the boil water advisory has been lifted.
If residents would like to flush out their system, she said, they should run cold water for two minutes in a shower or bathtub.
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Posted 3:17 p.m. Aug. 22, 2024
VALDOSTA — A mishap on a construction site damaged a water main in the Whitewater Road area Wednesday, and Lowndes County government has instituted a boil water advisory for residents served by that water main.
“On behalf of Lowndes County Utilities, a contractor was performing maintenance work on a 12-inch water main in the Whitewater Road area and inadvertently caused a significant break in the line,” the county posted to its Facebook page Wednesday. “This break has caused service disruption to a large portion of South Lowndes County.”
Public Information Officer Meghan Barwick said on Thursday that the break had been repaired, but the utilities department is still waiting for the results of water testing before it can lift the boil water advisory.
Barwick said she did not know how many residences were affected by the break, but the county emphasized in the Facebook post that if you didn’t have a water outage, the boil water advisory doesn’t apply to you.
The advisory is being issued out of an abundance of caution, the county said. There is the potential a health hazard may exist due to microbial contamination in these areas without positive pressure.
In order to protect the public from a potential health hazard, customers that have experienced water outages and/or low water pressures are advised to use only boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking, cooking, or preparing food. To properly boil tap water for use, customers should:
— Heat water until bubbles come quickly from the bottom of the container.
— Continue heating the water for one minute once it begins to boil.
— Remove the water from the heat source and allow it to cool before use.
During a boil water advisory, the Centers for Disease Control recommends that boiled tap water or bottled water be used for the following:
— Drinking.
— Brushing teeth.
— Washing food and preparing food and baby formula.
— Making ice.
— Drinking water for pets.
Other activities such as washing clothes or dishes do not need boiled water, if done properly. The complete CDC guidance can be found at this website:
https://www.cdc.gov/…/drinking…/boil-water-advisory.html