A tornado destroyed the water tower in Jewell Thursday night, creating a loss of pressure in the water distribution system and prompting the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to issue a boil water advisory for residents of the Jewell County town.
Water pressure is expected to be restored this afternoon, KDHE officials said, but whenever there is a loss of pressure it is possible for contaminants to enter the system. Also, chlorine
residuals may drop to levels that are inadequate to protect against bacterial contamination.
Residents of Jewell, a town of about 500 residents 10 miles south of Mankato, are being asked to take the following steps:
Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation, or use bottled water.
Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker.
Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.
If the tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.
The advisory will remain in effect until testing of water samples indicates no evidence of contamination and all other conditions which place the systems at risk of contamination are deemed by KDHE officials to be resolved.
The tornado also destroyed a trucking company and a cafe in Jewell, but no serious injuries were reported.