Boil water notice issued for some Bellefonte, Spring Township residents. What to know
Water customers in two Centre County municipalities are under a boil water advisory Wednesday.
The Bellefonte Borough Water Authority issued a notice Wednesday that customers in the Bellefonte borough and Spring Township are under a boil water notice until further notice. Customers impacted should not drink water without boiling it first, the notice advises.
The notice states the water authority did not meet treatment technique requirements. The water authority is required to maintain a disinfectant residual of 0.85 mg/L in the water supplied to consumers, but water samples taken on Wednesday showed a disinfection residual concentration of 0.01 mg/L, which constituted a breakdown in treatment, it states.
“As a result of this breakdown in treatment, there was a risk that the water may have contained disease-causing organisms,” the notice reads.
The disinfection residual is now restored to 0.85 mg/L and testing is underway, according to the notice.
Water should be boiled before drinking it until the notice is no longer in effect. The notice advises those impacted to bring the water to a boil, let it boil for a minute and let it cool down before using it — or to use bottled water. The boiled and/or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and preparing food until further notice, the notice states.
“Inadequately treated or inadequately protected water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, cramps, and associated headaches,” according to the notice.
Those symptoms are not only caused by the organisms in drinking water, so if consumers experience any persistent systems, they may want to seek medical advice.
“Guardians of infants and young children and people at increased risk, such as pregnant women, some of the elderly and people with severely compromised immune systems, should seek advice from their health care advisors about drinking this water,” the notice states.
The water authority will notify customers when the boil water notice is lifted. For more information, the water authority can be reached at 814-355-1501.
