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Williams Bay residents under "no drink" order
Williams Bay Waterworks is advising its residents to not use the tap water for drinking or cooking until further notice. That is because water testing has indicated elevated levels of nitrite.
WILLIAMS BAY, Wis. - Williams Bay Waterworks is advising its residents in the village to not use the tap water for drinking or cooking until further notice.
Alert to residents
What we know:
Village officials are warning residents not to drink or cook with tap water after tests revealed dangerously high levels of nitrite contamination.
Officials say the tap water can be used for showering, hand/dish washing and toilet flushing while this notice is in place.
Officials offer residents the following information related to this advisory:
- Do not drink your tap water - use only bottled water. Bottled water should be used for all drinking (including baby formula and juice), brushing teeth, making ice and food preparation until further notice.
- Do not try to treat the water yourself. Boiling, freezing, adding chlorine or other disinfectants, or letters water stand will not make the water safe.
The warning comes after the Walworth County Health Department confirmed a case of "blue baby syndrome," an illness often linked to contaminated drinking water. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources conducted tests on Aug. 25, with results released two days later.
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What's being done?
What we know:
Williams Bay Waterworks is working in collaboration with the Wisconsin DNR to reduce the nitrite in the system, and conduct more sampling for both nitrate and nitrite. Officials said in a news release they are taking the following actions to address this situation:
- Hydrant flushing
- Chlorinating to reduce nitrifying bacteria
- Collecting additional water samples
- Taking samples to certified laboratories for analyses
No timeline given
Dig deeper:
"This is the first day after the no drink order released by the DNR," said Will Kostock, lieutenant with the Williams Bay Police Department.
Village President Adam Jaramillo said nearly 3,000 residents are affected, and there is no timeline yet for when the water will be safe again.
"We can’t give you a timeline on when the water will be safe to drink," Jaramillo said. "We are working to do everything we can do."
Officials are warning to not try to treat the water yourself. They said boiling, freezing or adding chlorine will not make the water safe.
Bottled water distribution
What you can do:
Right now, bottled water is the only safe – and free – drinking option available.
The village authorized $100,000 for bottled water and emergency supplies. Volunteers and local groups have also stepped in to distribute bottled water daily.
Officials say water distribution is being held at Williams Bay School District. Residents need to enter from Theater Road by traveling towards the weigh room entrance.
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"We are injecting chlorine at the water plant and flushing the system," Jaramillo said.
Meanwhile, groups are volunteering to help fill the gaps for residents.
"We want to try to give that safe piece of mind that we have safe drinking water for them," Kostock said. "The community really comes together, they show their heart."
Around 29 cases of water were given out on Thursday.
Bottled water distribution will be from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. from Thursday, Aug. 28 through Monday, Sept. 1. From Sept. 2 on, the distribution will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by the Village of Williams Bay.