The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued a boil water advisory for a portion of the public water supply system in the city of Towanda.

The advisory applies to customers located in the Towanda Mobile Home Park, 70 Mechanic Street, and it was issued because of a water line break that caused a loss of pressure in the system.  That raises concerns for contamination.

Residents in the mobile home park are urged to take precautions:

• 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.
• If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.
• 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.

The advisory will be in effect until testing can confirm if there is contamination in the system.