December 08, 2005 Boil Order Update 12-8-2005: Health Department Removes Boil Advisories for Parts of New Orleans

BATON ROUGE, Dec 08, 2005 - State health officials have lifted boil orders for some water systems in eastern New Orleans that were seriously impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Boil orders were lifted Dec. 8 for the areas bounded by Lake Pontchartrain on the north, the Intracoastal Waterway on the south and from the Industrial Canal eastward to the end of the distribution system at Venetian Isles.

The boil orders, which were issued after a loss of pressure occurred in those systems, have been lifted since testing showed the water does not contain unsafe levels of bacteria and is safe to drink and use.

Boil orders still remain in effect for some parts of the New Orleans area that experienced pressure loss during the hurricanes. Customers of these water systems are reminded not to drink, make ice from, brush teeth, wash hands, prepare or rinse food with tap water unless it has been properly disinfected until further notice.

State health officials continue to work with the local water systems in these areas and are conducting sampling of the affected water systems. Workers with the state’s Safe Drinking Water Program anticipate lifting these boil advisories soon.

For a complete listing of the parish water systems that have had boil orders lifted and those that still remain under a boil order, please visit www.dhhemergencynews.com for “Boil Orders Related to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.”

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