Topeka stores struggle amid boil water advisory problems

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Local businesses are struggling to meet customer demands in the Capital City under a boil water advisory issued on Sunday.

The City of Topeka informed local residents in the city and surrounding areas that the water system was possibly contaminated with bacteria thanks to a mechanical failure. On Monday morning, the city elaborated on this with a new press release stating the failure was caused by extreme cold.

Multiple grocery stores in and around Topeka sold much of their bottled water as demand skyrocketed while some local restaurants, like Johnny's Tavern, had to adapt to the situation.

“Luckily, here, both our ice and water machines have their own built-in filtration system, but the real big change we had to make was our prep area," said Assistant General Manager Sierra Moore. "So basically, washing dishes, vegetables, or any recipes that require water we did have to boil multiple gallons of water just to do that.”

“We’ve gotten both a lot of calls and people coming in wondering about the ice and about the drinks," Moore said.

The boil water advisory impacts customers living in Topeka, according to a press release from the City of Topeka. A separate press release from the KDHE stated that the boil water advisory impacts people in Shawnee County Rural Water District 1C as well. Residents are encouraged to follow these steps while the advisory is in effect:

• If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it
  clears.
• Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation or use bottled water.
• Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker.
• Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one
  minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household
  bleach per gallon of water.
• Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children
  is necessary while bathing so that water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe
  rashes may wish to consult their physicians.

If you have any questions regarding this situation, you can send emails to citycommunications@topeka.org or call the KDHE at 785-296-5514.

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