At around 11:30 a.m. Saturday, the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Coastal Health District announced that Water Utility Management had issued a boil water advisory.
Citing the impacts of flooding from Tropical Storm Debby, the warning remains in effect “until further notice for both sides of Highway 204 from Bush Road to Fort Argyle Court.”
The following districts are included in the consultation area:
- Argyle Village
- Village of Bellaire
- Spacious Skies Campground (formerly Savannah Oaks RV Resort)
The warning states that residents “may notice discoloration in their tap water; however, the water may be contaminated even if no discoloration is seen.” To avoid potential health risks, DPH advises residents to use bottled water or boil tap water before drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth or preparing baby food.
DPH gives the following tips on how to boil water correctly:
- Fill a pot with water.
- Heat the water until bubbles rise from the bottom of the pot.
- Once the water comes to a rolling boil, let it boil for at least 1 minute.
- Turn off the heat source and let the water cool down.
- Pour the water into a clean container with a lid for storage.
In addition, residents whose private wells were flooded are advised to boil water for consumption. The alert states that wells “are considered flooded if your well pipe was submerged underwater at any time during or after the impact of Tropical Storm Debby.”
Residents should continue to boil their water until DPH provides safety updates for their drinking water.
For more information about how to properly and safely perform everyday water-related tasks during a boil water advisory, visit bit.ly/CDC-BoilWaterAdvisory.
Joseph Schwartzburt is an education and jobs reporter for the Savannah Morning News. Reach him at [email protected].
