Iota Residents Waking Up to Water Woes This Morning

What is that line from that old Joni Mitchell tune Big Yellow Taxi? Oh yea, "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone" That's a very relatable feeling that some residents of the town of Iota will be sharing this morning, especially where running water service to their homes and businesses are concerned.

City officials in Iota have issued a boil water advisory after the town's entire water system was shut down yesterday. The reason for the shutdown and subsequent boil water advisory is a break in a major water main. The rupture was reported late yesterday on South 2nd Street.

Crews worked into the evening to provide a temporary repair to the water system but the keyword you need to focus on is "temporary". A permanent fix is scheduled to be implemented later today. This will mean that water service to the town of Iota will again need to be shut down.

Residents were asked to conserve water during the evening hours last night ahead of the 8 am planned shutdown this morning. Officials close to the situation say that the repairs should take about four hours to complete.

Once they have been completed the water system be subject to a boil water advisory until the water supply has been deemed safe for consumption by the Louisiana Department of Health.

Here are some tips from the Centers for Disease Control on how to best navigate a boil water advisory in your town.

+ Use bottled or boiled water for drinking, and to prepare and cook food.
+ If bottled water is not available, bring water to a full rolling boil for 1 minute. After boiling, allow the water to cool before use.
+Boil tap water even if it is filtered (for example, by a home water filter or a pitcher that filters water).

+Do not use water from any appliance connected to your water line, such as ice and water from a refrigerator.

The CDC also has some other great information on keeping your family safe during a water emergency such as this. You can find their suggestions right here.

It usually takes a little more than 24 hours for the Department of Health to run the required tests and take samples to verify the safety of the water supply. However, due to the scope and scale of this repair, that could take a little longer. In the meantime, make sure you're doing what's necessary to ensure the health and safety of your family.

I guess if you wanted to, you could choose a substitute beverage instead of water. I mean, it's just a suggestion.