What do I do if there is a boil advisory issued for my area?
A boil advisory is issued whenever pressure in the main water line drops below a certain amount established by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. This can happen when there is a major break in a main line that allows water to simply free-flow out of the system. Another way this can happen is when a repair to a section of waterline is required. Valves will be closed upstream and downstream of the repair but between the valves, pressure will be lost until the repair is complete. The primary reason for a boil advisory is that under normal circumstances, with the main line operating at typical pressure, if there is a leak in the line water will flow out and dirt or other things around the leak cannot get into the main. When the pressure in the main goes down below about 20 psi, it then becomes possible for material to enter the water main potentially impacting water quality. The boil advisory will be issued as soon as the LPWDN determines that pressure in the system has been lost. The boil advisory will only be issued for the area(s) impacted by pressures below the minimum. As soon as the repair has been made and the main has been pressured back up with water, samples will be collected and analyzed by DHH. The boil advisory is lifted when the results from DHH shows "all clear". (Note that there can be other reasons for a boil advisory but loss of main line pressure is most common.)
"Click" on the document below from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals regarding what you should do during a Boil Advisory.
