OTTAWA — The city of Ottawa and surrounding areas served by the city, including rural water districts number 1, 2, 3 and 4; and the city of Princeton remain under a boil order this morning. It will likely be early Tuesday morning before the boil order is lifted, said city utilities director Dennis Tharp. The city and the Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment issued the boil order after a 16-inch main water distribution line near the city’s water plant broke late Saturday night and drained the city’s water towers. The line had a 5-foot crack on the bottom and may have been due to soil movement because of heavy rains, Tharp said. The line has been repaired and the water system is now fully functioning but it will take approximately 24 hours for the KDHE to complete testing on water samples and issue an all-clear, he said. Despite the city’s boil order, Ottawa USD 290 schools are in session today. “We fel like our kids are better off in school,” School Supt. Jeanne Stroh said. They won’t accidently take a drink of water.” Water fountains at schools have turned off, and the schools will give students three or four bottles of water today, she said. The city, Franklin County Emergency Management and Wal-Mart have provided enough bottled water for staff and students to last for the next few days, she said. School kitchen will boil water as part of food preperations and automated dishwashers are hot enough to kill any waterborne bacteria, she said. The city will again distributie drinking water to residents today until 6 p.m. in the public parking lot west of city Hall at First and Hickory streets. A one-gallon container of water will be given for each member of a household. The priority is for infants, children and the elderly.
Monday, Aug. 29, 9 a.m.
