BOIL WATER ADVISORY
The City of Richmond Hill is issuing this advisory due to a brief loss of water pressure within the City’s Service Delivery Area due to a communication loss with the automated system, which controls the production wells, which may have disrupted your water supply or caused water pressure in parts of the water system to drop to very low levels. The advisory is being issued out of an abundance of caution. Although there is no indication of a known problem with water safety, the brief drop in pressure poses a potential health hazard due to microbial contamination in areas where there is a loss of positive pressure.
To protect the public from potential health hazards, customers experiencing water outages and/or low water pressure are advised to use only boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking, cooking, and 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 to cool before use.
During a Boil Water Advisory, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that boiled tap water or bottled water be used for the following:
• Drinking
• Brushing teeth
• Washing food, preparing food, and baby formula
• Making ice
• Drinking water for pets
Other activities, such as cloth washing and dish washing, can be done without boiling tap water if done properly. The complete CDC guidance can be found at this website.
The advisory remains in effect until the City of Richmond Hill Water Department has conducted the necessary testing to confirm that there is no longer a public health concern. Customers will be notified immediately when the Advisory is lifted. Once the Advisory is lifted, you should flush all faucets for a minimum of two minutes before using them for drinking or food preparation.
Contact City Hall for questions (912) 756-3345.
View the advisory here.