Boil Alert issued for Marion area following filter malfunction at water plant – UPDATED

UPDATE: The boil advisory has been lifted as of Monday evening. Click here for details.

Aqua Ohio’s  (Aqua) Marion division has issued a boil water advisory for Aqua customers served by the Marion water plant.  This advisory affects customers in the City of Marion, the Village of Caledonia, the Village of Martel and the Village of Prospect.

Following a filter malfunction at the Marion water treatment plant, high levels of turbidity (cloudiness) were detected in treated water leaving the plant. Turbidity itself has no health effects. However, turbidity can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Turbidity might indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms. These organisms might include bacteria, viruses and parasites that can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches.

Aqua advises customers in the affected area to use bottled water or boil their water until Aqua receives clean test results from water samples. Aqua is notifying customers through the media and through Aqua’s notification system, WaterSmart Alerts. Aqua will notify customers when the advisory is lifted.

All water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, washing dishes and oral hygiene should be brought to a full boil for three minutes and cooled. It is not necessary to boil water for other uses. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms that might be present in the water.

While the boil advisory is in effect, Aqua also recommends that customers:

• throw away beverages and ice cubes if made with tap water;
• keep boiled water in the refrigerator for drinking;
• do not swallow water while you are showering or bathing;
• provide pets with boiled water after cooling it;
• do not use home filtering devices in place of boiling; and
• use only boiled water to treat wounds.

During the boil advisory, the company performs a series of tests to confirm that the water meets regulatory drinking water standards. Once test results confirm that no bacteria are present, customers will be notified through the media and Aqua’s WaterSmart Alert system.  Customers who have not signed up to receive WaterSmart Alerts by phone, email or text message may do so for free at AquaAmerica.com or by calling customer service at 877.987.2782.