IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER
August 10th, 2023
BOIL WATER ADVISORY
BRAINERD’S WATER I S CONTAMINATED WITH TOTAL COLIFORM BACTERIA.
BOIL YOUR WATER BEFORE DRINKING OR FOOD PREPARATION TO AVOID GETTING SICK.
What should I do?
Do not drink, brush teeth, or cook with tap water without boiling it first. Or use a safe alternative such as bottled water.
• Bring all water to a rolling boil for one (1) minute.
• Let water cool before drinking.
• Use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, and food preparation until further notice.
• Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in water.
What happened?
The drinking water may have been contaminated due to construction that occurred on July 27th, 2023 but the root cause is unknown. Brainerd does not normally disinfect its drinking water. The affected area includes Brainerd’s northern portion of its distribution.
What are we doing?
We are taking the following steps to correct the problem: Brainerd will be chlorinating the system so that there will be chlorinated water throughout the northern portion of its distribution for a period of 24 hours. Following that time, Brainerd will then flush the chlorinated water and collect samples to confirm there is no total coliform bacteria. We will let you know when tests show the water is safe to drink and you no longer need to boil your water. We expect to resolve the problem by August 14th, 2023.
What may be the health effects?
Total coliform are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.
If you are concerned about your health or the health of a family member, contact your health care provider.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
For more information
Please contact Todd Wicklund at 218-825-3220.
For more information: Community Drinking Water Advisory Guidance
(https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/docs/com/dwaguidance.pdf).
This notice is being sent to you by Brainerd. Public Water System ID 1180002