Treat with UV During Boil Water Advisory

Realizing that you don't have access to clean, safe water for drinking, brushing teeth, washing dishes, or food preparation is enough to make most of us panic. If anything, it certainly heightens our awareness of how important water is in our everyday activities.

Every day new boil water notices or advisories are issued in the United States.

While being told not to cook or bathe with the water coming into our homes is inconvenient, it is NOT an uncommon circumstance. Every year, hundreds of thousands of U.S. and Canadian residents temporarily lose access to clean, safe water.

Water utility companies work to ensure water regulations are being maintained and our water is safe for consumption. When water contamination issues arise, local governments or municipalities issue a “Boil Water Advisory” in which residents are told to bring water to a rolling boil for one minute prior to consuming.

Boil water advisories are generally issued when there is concern because of:

1. 1. 1. Manufacturing processes
      2. Sewer overflows
      3. Low water pressure
      4. The use of farming pesticides and fertilizers
      5. Pipe leaks, main breaks or scheduled maintenance
      6. Major storms or natural disasters

All of these scenarios can leave the public water system vulnerable to impurities leaching in. A copy of your local water quality report is available from your local water provider at Where You Live: Your Drinking Water Quality Reports.

Boil water advisories are issued when there's a risk that contaminants have entered the public water supply, often from sewer overflows, low water pressure, pipe leaks or main breaks, scheduled maintenance, manufacturing processes, agricultural runoff like pesticides and fertilizers, or major storms and natural disasters. Any of these situations can let bacteria, viruses, or other impurities leach into the water system. Notices are usually issued one to two days after the contamination actually occurs, since testing takes time to confirm the problem.

Yes - ultraviolet (UV) disinfection is one of the few water treatment methods that remains effective during a boil water advisory, since it doesn't rely on heat or chemicals to work. UV systems use ultraviolet light to destroy up to 99.99% of harmful bacteria, viruses, and protozoa as water passes through, and they can treat anywhere from roughly 2 to 50 gallons per minute depending on the system size. One limitation worth noting: most UV systems can't operate during a power outage, since they need electricity to run the lamp.

There's no set timeline - a boil water advisory can last anywhere from a few hours to several days or even weeks, depending on the cause and how long it takes to fix. The advisory stays in effect until municipal water testing confirms the water meets public health safety standards again. Because the duration is unpredictable, having a backup plan like stored water or a UV treatment system in place ahead of time is the best way to avoid being caught off guard.

You can prepare by installing a UV disinfection system so contaminated water is treated automatically without needing to boil it, and by storing water in advance — FEMA and the CDC recommend at least one gallon per person per day, replaced every six months to stay within expiration. It's also worth keeping unscented household chlorine bleach on hand for disinfecting water and surfaces, along with water purification drops like chlorine dioxide as a backup option. Boiling water for at least one minute, per CDC guidance, remains the fallback method if no other treatment is available.

Once an advisory is lifted, you should flush out your household pipes, drain and sanitize your reverse osmosis system and replace its filters, and run a regeneration cycle on any water softening system. You should also run hot water through to empty and refresh your water heater, and discard any ice currently in your ice maker along with the next two batches it produces, wiping down the ice maker with disinfectant. These steps help clear out any residual contamination that may have settled in your home's plumbing and appliances during the advisory.