UPDATE: As of Wednesday morning, August 26th, KIWA has been advised that the boil order in Sutherland has been lifted.
———————————————————–
Original Story:
Sutherland, Iowa — Residents of Sutherland are being told to boil their water before use, due to water system issues.
The city of Sutherland gets their water from Osceola County Rural Water, who also serves Calumet, according to Sutherland City Clerk Natosha Petitt.
Iowa Department of Natural Resources Spencer Field Office Environmental Specialist Lois Benson says that the Sutherland system lost pressure late Sunday afternoon, after some controls at the tower had been changed, and that’s when the boil order was issued.
Clerk Petitt says Osceola County Rural Water had made a tie-in late last week between Sutherland and Calumet, and due to an issue, Sutherland was not receiving any water and their tower actually went dry. She says the west side of town actually had no water in the pipes. She says that any time the system loses pressure a boil advisory is required by the DNR, as this no-pressure situation could potentially allow bacteria to enter the system.
She says they are submitting water samples, and once they get those back, they will know how to proceed. In the mean time, Sutherland residents should boil their water.
Boil orders issued by the DNR normally say to bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. The water may be used for bathing and other similar purposes.
