The residents of St. Jude Street in Church Point are under a boil advisory until further notice.
A main line on the street broke, and now the water must be tested to see if it is safe to drink.
How to properly boil water:
If your tap water is cloudy, give it time to settle. Strain the water with a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter to remove the sediment. If your tap water is clear, skip this step.
Hold water at a rolling boil for at least one minute to kill all harmful bacteria. Because coffeepots don’t boil water long enough to make it safe, you can’t use them to purify water.
Don’t forget to let the water cool before drinking or storing it.
If there’s a boil water advisory in your area, you should boil your water before doing any of following activities:
Drinking
Making ice — also throw away any ice that may have become contaminated
Brushing your teeth
Preparing baby formula
Preparing food
Preparing drinks (even when the drink has its own filter, like coffee made with a coffee maker)
Giving pets water to drink
Water doesn’t need to be purified when doing laundry, washing hands, or bathing. However, you should be careful to avoid getting water in your eyes or mouth. It’s also recommended to use purified water for bathing young children, people with weak immune systems, and people with an open wound.
You can use unpurified water to wash dishes, but the dishes should be soaked in a mixture of water and bleach for at least a minute after washing.
What to do after a boil water advisory is lifted:
After the advisory is lifted, flush the plumbing in your home by running all cold water faucets for at least five minutes each. You should also flush all appliances connected to the water line, like refrigerators and dishwashers. Disposable filters that have come in contact with contaminated water should be removed and replaced. Ice from ice makers should be dumped and replaced three times.
