By Sam Parsons

A portion of the city of Oskaloosa is now under a boil order after a water main break early in the morning in the eastern part of the city rendered much of the city without running water for several hours.

From the Oskaloosa Municipal Water Department:

The Oskaloosa Municipal Water Department has issued a boil order for residents in the following area. An  area with 11^th street as the west border, 9^th avenue East as the south border, B avenue East as the north border, and including all of Park Place, North and South Park, Highland Avenue , Hillcrest Drive, Solar Drive, Terrace Drive and Maplewoods Drive.

Residents in these area should:

• 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 (at elevations above 6,500 feet, boil for 3 minutes). 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.
• Breastfeeding is the best infant feeding option. If you formula feed your child, provide ready-to-use formula, if possible.

Handwashing

• In many cases, you can use tap water and soap to wash hands during a boil water advisory. Follow the guidance from your local public health officials.
• Be sure to scrub your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Then, rinse them well under running water.
• If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Bathing and showering

• Be careful not to swallow any water when bathing or showering.
• Use caution when bathing babies and young children. Consider giving them a sponge bath to reduce the chance of them swallowing water.

Brushing teeth

• Brush teeth with boiled or bottled water. Do not use tap water that you have not boiled first.

Washing dishes

• If possible, use disposable plates, cups, and utensils during a boil water advisory.
• Household dishwashers generally are safe to use if:
  • The water reaches a final rinse temperature of at least 150 degrees Fahrenheit (66°Celsius), or
  • The dishwater has a sanitizing cycle.
• Sanitize all baby bottles.
• To wash dishes by hand:
  • Wash and rinse the dishes as you normally would using hot water.
  • In a separate basin, add 1 teaspoon of unscented household liquid bleach for each gallon of warm water.
  • Soak the rinsed dishes in the water for at least one minute.
  • Let the dishes air dry completely before using again.

Laundry

• It is safe to wash clothes as usual.

Cleaning

• Clean washable toys and surfaces with:
  • Bottled water,
  • Boiled water, or
  • Water that has been disinfected with bleach [PDF – 1 page].

Caring for pets

• Pets can get sick from some of the same germs as people or spread germs to people. Give pets bottled water or boiled water that has cooled.
• If bottled water is not available, bring water to a full rolling boil for 1 minute (at elevations above 6,500 feet, boil for 3 minutes). 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.

Caring for your garden and houseplants

• You can use tap water for household plants and gardens.

Oskaloosa Hy-Vee Offering Free Water to Oskaloosa Residents

In the wake of the unfortunate situation, the Oskaloosa Hy-Vee location offered free 24-packs of water for Oskaloosa residents. One 24 pack per household member could have been picked up at the Oskaloosa Hy-Vee located at 110 S D St.

This was made possible by Hy-Vee dispatching its Disaster Relief fleet of trucks to the location. Members of the Disaster Relief team at Hy-Vee unloaded crates of bottled water and handed them out to people driving through the parking lot adjacent to Hy-Vee.

Over 130,000 bottles of water were handed out through the partnership of Mahaska County EMA, Mahaska County CERT, the Oskaloosa Fire Department, and Mahaska Health.

What Happened

In the early morning hours on Sunday (2/5/23), a resident posted to Facebook reporting a broken water main and a massive leak happening near the intersection of 11th Street and High Avenue East. It was later revealed to be a 12″ main.

Workers from the Oskaloosa Municipal Water Department quickly were sent out to address the issue. Much of the city was left without water for several hours on Sunday morning. By the early afternoon, water flow had been restored, but a portion of the city was placed under a boil order until further notice.

School Still In Session for Oskaloosa CSD

The Oskaloosa Community School District announced in the wake of the water main break that school for Monday (2/6) is still on.

In a statement from the district:

“On Sunday morning, the City of Oskaloosa lost water service following a 12” water main break. We have been notified by Mahaska County Emergency Management that water will be restored in time for school Monday and the water will be safe to drink.

“We do not have any boil advisories for our school campuses. School will resume at its usual time on Monday.

“School and district leaders have been working to prepare for any disruptions to teaching and learning as a result of this situation. We will have a large supply of bottled water on hand at each school in case we need it.

“We are grateful for the crews who have been working quickly to fix the water main. We also appreciate our families’ patience and understanding at this time.”

This is a developing story. This article will be updated as information comes in.