A day after torrential rains drenched the Lake Dabinawa area in Jefferson County, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued a boil order for residents in Rural Water District 13.

The boil order was issued Thursday after the area water plant lost pressure when Wednesday night’s storms caused an electrical outage and a water-main break.

“It’s just a precaution,” said KDHE spokeswoman Sharon Watson. “But there is a chance for bacteria to grow in those low-pressure situations.”

The boil order will stay in effect until the KDHE completes testing on the water. Watson said residents should expect the boil advisory to remain until at least Saturday.

“There are so many different kinds of bacteria that can grow in those situations, but generally we are most concerned with things like e. Coli,” she said.

The KDHE recommends the following precautions for residents in district 13:

¢ Boil water for drinking or food preparation vigorously for one minute before use.

¢ Dispose of ice cubes made from tap water, including those made in automatic ice machines.

¢ Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled, though parents are encouraged to monitor children’s bathing so water is not ingested.

Kathy Reusch, who works for the water district and lives near Lake Dabinawa, said the boil order shouldn’t prove too inconvenient for most people.

“You boil most of the water you cook with anyway, and you can drink bottled water,” she said.

A boil order was issued for the residents of Eudora in March when emergency repairs to the water distribution system caused pressure to drop.