Boil advisory remains for Jasper customers on Leopold Street after outage
Leopold Street homes between 13th and 14th Street must keep boiling tap water for 5 minutes after service returned. The advisory lasts at least 48 hours and stays up until testing clears it.
Households on Leopold Street between 13th Street and 14th Street had water service turned back on, but they still cannot use tap water straight from the faucet for drinking, cooking or pet bowls. The Jasper Municipal Water Department said residents must boil water for 5 minutes before human or pet consumption, and the advisory is expected to remain in place for at least 48 hours.
Bathing is considered safe, but the short block of Jasper still faces the kind of disruption that quickly reaches daily routines. Coffee, meals, baby formula, brushing teeth and pet water all require extra caution until the line is cleared. The department said questions can be directed to 812-482-5252.
The advisory will not be lifted until two consecutive water samples pass testing. Once that happens, the city said another notice will go out to tell residents the area is clear. The notice said the precaution was issued to prevent illness from potentially harmful germs or chemicals in the water.
Indiana Department of Environmental Management says boil-water advisories are used when water may be contaminated with microbial pathogens, including total coliform bacteria, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, E. coli and viruses. The agency says water main breaks, leaks and loss of pressure can trigger those warnings, which is why a restored line is not automatically considered safe for drinking.
In Jasper, the affected area is a very small part of the city, but the impact still lands hardest on the people who live there and on any home that depends on clean tap water throughout the day. The city has used the same minimum 48-hour, two-sample standard in other recent boil alerts, including one for Third Avenue, Giesler Road, Dodge Street and Plymouth Street. In February, water service was restored to customers along Schuetter Road and in the area of 13th Street and Leopold without a boil advisory.
For now, the block remains in precaution mode until testing proves the water is safe again.
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