Precautionary boil water advisory for St. Simons Island neighborhood

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Fla. – A precautionary boil water advisory was issued Sunday for residents in St. Simons Island.

The warning comes after the St. Simons Island water system lost pressure in a unit at Shady Brooke Circle in Shadow Brooke Village when an independent contractor was digging into a 2 ince water main, the Brunswick-Glynn Joint Water and Sewer Commission (BGJWSC) reported.

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This loss of pressure in the distribution system may cause back-pressure, back-siphonage, or a net movement of water from outside the pipe to the inside through cracks, breaks, or joints in the distribution system that are common in all water systems. Such a system failure carries with it a potential that bacterial contamination or other disease-causing organisms could enter the water distribution system. These conditions may pose an imminent and substantial health endangerment to persons served by the water system.

-Brunswick-Glynn Joint Water and Sewer Commission

Once repairs are completed, lab technicians will collect water samples for testing. The testing, which will take between 18 and 24 hours, should be completed by Monday afternoon. An all-clear message will be posted.

Shady Brooke Village

Although the loss in water pressure was isolated to building 142, the BGJWSC said any adjacent building that experienced a complete loss of pressure should be advised and take the necessary precautions as well.

What should I do?

  • Do not drink the water without boiling it first. Bring all water to a rolling boil for at least three minutes, 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. Discard all stored water, drink  or ice made recently.
  • Bathing, showering and toilet flushing may be performed using water from the tap without boiling it first.
  • Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites which can cause symptoms 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.
  • 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 about drinking water from their health care providers.

Once the BGJWSC determines that there is no longer a threat of harmful bacteria in the water, residents be informed by updates posted on their website: http://www.bgjwsc.org.