Kansas health officials have issued a boil water advisory for the cities of Wellington and Mayfield and for people living in Sumner County Rural Water districts, 1, 2 and 3.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said the advisory was issued because of an equipment failure causing turbidity in the distribution system.  Failure to maintain low turbidity may put the system at risk for bacterial or parasitic contamination.

The advisory will be in effect until further notice.  Residents are advised to take the following precautions:

• Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation or use bottled water.
• Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker.
• If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.
• Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.
• Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing so that water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.