DRINKING WATER WARNING
City of Jackson Surface Water System has high turbidity levels.
***BOIL YOUR WATER BEFORE USING***
We routinely monitor your water for turbidity (cloudiness). This tells us whether we are effectively filtering the water supply. A water sample taken today, February 23, 2021 showed turbidity levels greater than 1.0 turbidity units. This is above the standard of 0.30 turbidity units. Because of these high levels of turbidity, there is an increased chance that the water may contain disease-causing organisms.
What should I do? What does this mean?
- DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
- *Turbidity has no health effects. However, turbidity can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Turbidity may indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches. *
- The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice from their health care providers about drinking this water.
What is being done?
We are taking steps to ensure the required level of treatment is maintained. The cause of the treatment lapse has been identified and we are making repairs and improvements at the O. B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant to address the issue and decrease the possibility of a repeat occurrence.
We will inform you when turbidity returns to appropriate levels and when you no longer need to boil your water. We anticipate resolving the problem within the next 4-7 days.
For more information, please contact the City of Jackson Water Lab at 601-960-2723. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
*Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.*