Don't Drink the Water in AC, Unless You Boil It First

ATLANTIC CITY — The City of Atlantic City and the Atlantic City Municipal Utilities Authority (ACMUA) have issued a boil water advisory effective Friday, Jan. 5, 2024, that is expected to last at least for the next two days.

The City’s Health and Human Services Environmental Health Division recommends bringing boiled water to 112 degrees.

The ACMUA recently discovered a problem and is working diligently to correct the issues.

“We routinely monitor your water at the treatment plant for turbidity (cloudiness). This tells us whether we are effectively filtering the water supply to remove organic matter and possible disease-causing organisms,” the ACMUA said in a prepared statement.

A water sample taken on Friday showed turbidity levels of 2.5 nephelometric turbidity units at the Individual Filter Effluent which is above the standard of one nephelometric turbidity unit, the statement said. Atlantic City generally has some of the best water in the United States and has historically won awards for its water quality.

“The Combined Filter Effluent was not operational at the time of the Individual Filter Effluent Exceedance. Because of the high levels of turbidity, there is an increased chance that the water may contain disease-causing organisms,” the statement said.

What should the I do? What does this mean?

• DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST.

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, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.

• Turbidity has no health effects. However, turbidity can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Turbidity may indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.

• The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice from their health care providers about drinking this water.

What is being done?

The ACMUA will be flushing the system and sampling for total coliform. 

“We will inform you when turbidity returns to appropriate levels and when you no longer need to boil your water,” the ACMUA said.

General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

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