After Hurricane Helene, many of us are facing issues with our water being safe to use. Whether you were on a well or getting water from a city or township, over the last 4 weeks most of us have faced concerns about if our water was safe to use. If you are on the City of Asheville water supply, you have been getting daily Boil Water Notices with lots of information on what to do in order to have safe drinkable water. Each day the notice doesn’t seem to change and we have friends, neighbors, and others on line giving lots of advice on what to do. It is important to follow the recommendations in the notice since those have been researched for safety.

If you had a flooded well, where water was over the top of the well at any point during the storm or a well that received structural damage, it must be disinfected. Refer to the recommendations from the Environmental Health Department. You can also call their office at (828) 250-5016. While disinfecting your well and waiting for the test results that indicate it is safe to use, you should follow the recommendations similar to the Boil Water Notice recommendations.

 Also, many pets can get the same diseases humans can, so it is a good idea to give them potable/drinking water as well.

Boil Water Notice Recommendations:

Using Bottled or Potable/Drinking water:

• Using bottled or potable/drinking water is preferable for drinking, mixing baby formula and foods, brushing teeth, preparing foods, washing vegetables and fruits, and for washing hands before food preparation.
• The Community Care Centers around the county as well as other distribution center have water that you can get to use at home. Some will be able to fill your own containers.
• You can use food grade water containers with spouts that can make using water easier when preparing food and washing hands.

You can also Boil Water to make it potable/drinkable:

• Fill a pot with water. Heat the water until the bubbles come from the bottom to the top of the pot and has a continuous rolling boil. Let it boil for 1 minute and then let it cool before using.
• Boil water one minute before adding any food when cooking.
• To store, use clean sanitized containers.
• If water is cloudy, you can filter water through paper coffee filters or cloths.

You can disinfect clear water to make it potable/drinkable:

• If your water is clear, use unscented bleach. Add 1/8 teaspoon for each gallon of water. Mix well and wait 30 minutes to use.
• To store, use clean sanitized containers.

You can disinfect cloudy water to make it potable/drinkable:

• If your water is cloudy, you can filter it using a coffee filter then use unscented bleach. Add ¼ teaspoon for each gallon of water. Mix well and wait 30 minutes to use.
• To store, use clean sanitized containers.

To Sanitize Your Containers:

• Use unscented bleach and mix 1 teaspoon in one quart of water.
• Pour this solution into a clean storage container and shake well, making sure that the solution coats the entire inside of the container.
• Let the solution sit in the container for at least 30 minutes before pouring it out.
• Let empty container air dry or rinse with potable/drinking water.

How to wash dishes so you do not need added sanitizing step:

• You can wash dishes in potable/drinking water or water that has been boiled for 1 minute. Make sure to use that for both the wash water and rinse water and you will not need another step to ensure safety.
• You can use your dishwasher (check with manufacturer if recommended if water is cloudy with sediment), and if you use the sanitizing cycle or if your rinse water reaches 170 degrees (which can be difficult to measure) you do not need another step to ensure safety.

Washing Dishes that do require an added sanitizing step:

• You can wash your dishes in the non-potable water, but you need to do a sanitizing rinse. You run a risk if you rinse in potable or non-potable water, since the wash water was non-potable.
• Sanitize your dishes by soaking for at least one minute in a basin or sink with a solution of 1 teaspoon of unscented bleach for each gallon of warm water.
• These dishes need to air dry to complete the sanitizing step and be safe to use.

Bathing and Showering during Boil Notice

• Be careful not to swallow water when bathing or showering. You can wash your face with potable/drinking water to be safe.
• If cuts or immunocompromised, you should use potable/drinking water to bath or public showers that use outside water sources.
• With young children and babies, sponge baths are safer because they reduce the chance of swallowing the water.
• Since the may have higher levels of chlorine, if sensitive to chlorine, you may wish to avoid showering or bathing in that water. You can use potable/drinking water and heat to take sponge baths or you can visit the various community care centers with public showers from outside water sources.

Doing Laundry during Boil Notice

• You can do laundry during a boil water notice, but check with your manufacture for recommendations if water is cloudy.

For more information on what to do during a Boil Water Notice or if your well water is needing disifecting see the CDC Boil Water Advisory advice.