Boil advisory issued for North Kansas City residents after malfunction in water system
North Kansas City officials issued a boil advisory for residents Thursday night, instructing everyone to boil their tap water before drinking due to a malfunction at the city reservoir.
One of the largest water mains associated with the reservoir broke Thursday night, according to deputy city administrator Kim Nakahodo. This caused a loss of water pressure within the distribution system that brings water to North Kansas City homes.
The water main break took place in Macken Park, flooding the grass and causing low water pressure in nearby homes, city administrators shared on social media.
While the water main is repaired, the low water pressure could cause untreated water to flood back into the system, Nakahodo said. This means water coming out of North Kansas City taps could be contaminated or contain disease-carrying bacteria.
“We have not identified the causation of the water main break at this time,” Nakahodo told The Star Thursday night. “We have a lot of city staff here to make sure we can restore our water services as quickly as possible.”
While city water crews work to repair the break, North Kansas City residents are advised to bring all water to a rolling boil for at least three minutes before drinking, according to Nakahodo.
Residents should use either boiled or bottled water for all cooking, drinking and cleaning activities, including drinking, washing dishes, brushing teeth and making ice. The city is also asking that residents throw out any tap water they currently have stored, either as ice cubes or in a pitcher or glass.
Untreated water can carry bacteria and parasites, and drinking it can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea and headaches. This contaminated water can be especially dangerous to children, older adults and the immunocompromised, Nakahodo said.
According to Nakahodo, the city plans to issue an update when the boil advisory ends.
This story was originally published August 1, 2024 at 9:17 PM.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misidentified the type of alert issued, which is a boil water advisory.
