The City of Wichita has issued a boil water advisory for Wichita KS boil water advisory after a loss of pressure at the main treatment plant and Hess pump station on September 16, the city said.
City posts on September 16 say a backup power failure at roughly 5 a.m. disabled two generators and prevented two others from starting, causing an estimated 45-minute loss of system pressure that triggered the advisory.
Wichita officials advised customers to “boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation or use bottled water,” and to discard ice and disinfect food-contact surfaces, per the city’s advisory.
The city said staff manually restored power and reset pumps, then began water testing; samples were sent to a certified lab and results were expected the afternoon of September 17, and only the Kansas Department of Health and Environment can rescind the advisory.
Restaurants, wholesalers and municipalities that receive Wichita water are included under the advisory, the city said, and the advisory covers the full system until testing allows KDHE to lift or narrow it.
Precautions from the city note that showering generally does not require boiling but caution should be used with small children and open wounds; household filters and refrigerator icemakers may not be sufficient to protect against contamination.
This is the city’s most recent precaution; local coverage notes the last boil advisory in Wichita was in October 2021 after a major water main break, according to reporting from KAKE News.
The article includes practical contacts for consumers: the City of Wichita at (316) 265-1300 and KDHE at (785) 296-5514, and points businesses to the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s food safety program for questions about operations during the advisory.
For more on what the city has published about the advisory, see the on-site advisory summary: boil water advisory in Wichita.
Sources
- City of Wichita — official advisory page and details on the September 16 power failure, testing timeline, health guidance and KDHE rescind authority.
- KAKE News — local reporting on loss of pressure, public reports of low pressure, and noting the previous October 2021 boil advisory precedent.
