Boil Alert!

find advice for our wholesale customers here.

Effective Monday October 22nd, the city of Austin has issued a notice to all residents to boil their water prior to consumption. 

What does this Mean?
Because of the recent heavy rainfall & flooding to our west, our local water treatment plants have had their filters overloaded with debris. When the treatment plants' filters aren't working properly, it means your water could contain anything from silt to viruses & bacteria.

The city ordered a boil ordinance in order to help citizens protect themselves from potentially contaminated tap water.

What do I do?
Boil your water! Any water you might consume, must be boiled prior to use. This means, any drinking, cooking, dish-washing, tooth-brushing, & hand-washing water ought to be boiled. Shower water is okay, as long as you aren't drinking it, too!

How should I do it?
You only have to get your water to the boiling point (at least above 158 degrees Fahrenheit) in order to kill 99% of possible contaminants. You don't have to leave the water at a boil for the vast majority of viruses & bacteria to be killed. 

If you have an electric kettle, boil batches of water & store them in a pitcher to cool for household use. If you can limit the amount of dish-washing you have, do it!

Can't I just use my in-house filter?
No, your Brita Filter is not enough. Standard water filters cannot alone kill all possible bacteria & viruses that could be in our tap water. In order to protect yourself & your family, it is best to boil even filtered water (or buy bottled water at the store).

How long will this last?
The city has not yet given an estimate for how long our water treatment plants will be down; however, we would assume it will at least be a couple of days before our systems are back to normal. There is more rain in the forecast this week, so it may be longer!

We will keep you posted when the notice is lifted!

In the meantime: don't be boring with your boil - make coffee & tea!