The City of Idaho Falls Issues Boil Order

(IDAHO FALLS, ID)  —  The city of Idaho Falls Water Superintendent, David Richards, has issued an immediate “boil order” for parts of Idaho Falls.  The precautionary measure is being undertaken after the city experienced a water pressure drop over the weekend.   The computer control system responsible for the pressure drop has since been identified and is being  corrected.  The safety measure is being put in place as a precautionary step until new water testing can be completed and the city water system can be run without restrictions.

It is anticipated that the order will stay in effect for the next 24-hours and only affects those residents in the following areas:

• North of Anderson and Higham Streets between the Snake River and North Holmes Avenue

• North of 1st Street between Holmes Avenue and Woodruff Avenue

• North of East 17th Street between Woodruff Avenue and 25th East (Hitt Road) to include the Woodbridge and Ivan’s Acres Subdivisions

It is critical that the people in the affected areas observe the following:

DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST.  Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water  Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes,  and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.

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• Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.

 

• The symptoms above are caused by many types of organisms. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.

 

Commenting on the order, Superintendent Richards stated, “We make every effort to insure the water quality in the city is the best absolutely possible.  It is with that in mind that the city water department has this procedure in place whenever we have a water pressure drop like the one we experienced over the weekend”.  Currently, it is unknown if the quality of the City’s drinking water has been impacted. The water system is chlorinated to help protect against incidents such as this and city personnel are conducting sampling to verify the quality of the drinking water. Measures are being taken to replace the faulty electrical component to prevent the same from happening in the future.

 

The drop in pressure was due to mechanical failure of a component responsible for water system

communication and control. This advisory is a required, precautionary measure as a result of the reduced pressure. A drop in water pressure is a signal of the existence of conditions that could allow contamination to enter the distribution system through backflow, by backpressure, or back-siphonage. As a result, there is an increased chance that the drinking water may contain disease-causing organisms.