The city of Rome is under a boil water advisory, according to a statement from city officials.
The statement, which went out shortly before 10 p.m. on June 16, stated the loss of residual chlorine at the city’s water filtration facility.
The Advisory is a public safety measure while water samples are gathered throughout the city to be tested for possible contamination and will remain in place until further notice.
Random Location Water Testing
The random location testing will help officials to identify any drinking water in the city that has been contaminated as a result of drop in Chlorine levels. Any such contaminated water will need to be flushed out of the system.
The advisory will remain in place until this process is complete.
NY State Department of Health monitoring water situation in Rome
The City of Rome has notified the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) of the situation.
The city’s chief operator has been in consistent contact with the NYSDOH from the onset of this incident, including notifying them of the boil water advisory being posted. NYSDOH will be called upon for approval of the ultimate lifting of the advisory.
How to boil water to ensure it is safe to drink
Boiling water according to the statement is a “form of pasteurization.” NYSDOH recommends the following procedure for boiling water to get it to the drinking stage:
The term “rolling boil” communicates a visual way to identify if water is boiling by observing the water actually bubbling and “rolling.”
Waiting for the water to reach a rolling boil, then boiling for a full minute before cooling it, “helps to assure that an effective pasteurization temperature is reached.”
According to the statement, research has established that boiling for one minute is very effective in destroying pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and protozoa such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have both endorsed a one-minute boiling time for drinking water.
For status of advisory, further information, questions
For updates to the status of the City of Rome public water supply and the Boiling Water Advisory currently in place, visit and follow the City of Rome Facebook page, call the City of Rome Water Filtration Facility at 315-339-7777 or contact the NYSDOH at 315-798-5064.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Entire city of Rome under boil water advisory after chlorine loss
Reporting by Cara Dolan Berry, Utica Observer Dispatch / Observer-Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cara Dolan Berry, Utica Observer Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
