UPDATED: Lewes Water Safe to Drink

Lewes Board of Public Works – Precautionary Drinking Water Warning

BOIL YOUR WATER BEFORE USING

May Be At Increased Risk From Microbial Contamination.

The City of Lewes routinely monitor the conditions in the distribution system. On Friday January 12, 2018, the city experienced a drop in pressure due to two main breaks that may have caused a loss of positive water pressure in the water distribution system. A loss of positive water pressure is a signal of the existence of conditions that could allow contamination to enter the distribution system through back-flow by back-pressure or back-siphonage. As a result, there is an increased chance that the water may contain disease-causing organisms.

What should I do?

DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a rolling boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using; or use bottled water. You should use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth, and food preparation until further notice.

Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.

These symptoms, however, are not caused only by organisms in drinking water, but also by other factors. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice.

People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at increased risk. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1 (800) 426-4791.

What happened? What is being done?

The City of Lewes will inform the public when all corrective actions have been completed and when you no longer need to boil your water.

For more information, please contact:
Darrin Gordon, BPW General Manager at
302-645-6228

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.