UPDATE: The city of Wichita said results are not expected until Saturday morning for testing of the water system after Thursday’s water main break. The boil water advisory will remain in effect at least through that time. Wichita Public Schools canceled classes today, while schools in Derby, Valley Center, and Rose Hill were open with bottled water for students. The city is planning a news briefing this morning to provide an update.
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Crews for the City of Wichita are working to repair a water main break that has interrupted service for much of the city, and a boil water advisory has been issued for the city in the meantime.
Public Works Director Alan King said the water treatment plant had a loss of power that shut down equipment and the pumps for a brief time, and when the power was restored, it was discovered that pressure was down in the system. King said the pressure did not drop to zero, which would create a danger of bacterial contamination. City crews have been working at I-135 and 17th Street North where a large amount of water was flowing from underground.
King said crews will be working around the clock to repair the break and restore service. The break is in a 42-inch water main.
The city has issued a boil water advisory under guidelines from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
- Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation or use bottled water.
- Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker.
- Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.
- Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing so that water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.
- Well water users do not have to boil their water.
The city reports system pressure has returned to normal and customers should not be experiencing water outages, but they are still under the boil advisory. Because of this, Wichita’s schools will not be having classes Friday.
The advisory will be in effect until further notice. It also affects water districts in Sedgwick and Butler counties.
Sedgwick Co RWD 1
Sedgwick Co RWD 2
Sedgwick Co RWD 3
City of Andover
City of Rose Hill
City of Benton
El Paso Water Co. (City of Derby)
City of Kechi
City of Valley Center
Bel Aire officials said on Twitter that their community is not affected and residents don’t have to follow the advisory, and KDHE later dropped Bel Aire from the boil advisory.
