Millions of people were instructed not to use city water without first boiling it, causing great inconvenience and safety fears. Many businesses using water, for example, restaurants, were forced to shut down.
What is a Boil Water Notice, and does it mean the water is unsafe?
A Boil Water Notice is a public announcement that humans and pets should not ingest water before boiling it, and then letting it cool. This announcement would usually be made by a municipality that treats water centrally at a treatment plant and pipes it via a distribution system to people’s homes or businesses through a water meter. This is done when there is a positive coliform bacteria test result in the distribution system. It is also done as a precaution when there is a chance that the water may be unsafe. The water may in fact be safe, but there is a real risk it is not safe. The best way to mitigate that risk is not to use the water until it can be proven safe.
In this series, we will review the facts surrounding the Boil Water Notice of November 24, 2022, in Houston, and then answer the following questions that we have been asked over the past few days by numerous customers:
- What is a Boil Water Notice, and does it mean the water is unsafe?
- What do I need to do during a Boil Water Notice?
- If I have a water filter, can I drink from that?
- Does boiling the water produce any other effects?
- What do I do when the Boil Water Notice is lifted? Can I just resume drinking city water?
- What are safe levels for water pressure?
- What happens when water pressure goes below that level?
- Who tests the water?
- Does finding bacteria in the water trigger a Boil Water Notice?
- If the water was unsafe on the morning of November 24, 2022, why did the city wait about 8 hours to announce it?
- Why did it take another day or more to find out if the water is safe?
- How can I protect my family from future Boil Water Notices?
