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Major Line Break Affects Nelsonville Water Service

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Nelsonville residents are advised to use caution following a major water line break at the city's water plant.

According to a news release, crews are working on repairs.

Areas of Nelsonville may experience a water outage in the meantime.

The city has issued a boil order for all of Nelsonville and any area serviced by the Nelsonville Water system, until further notice.

The drinking water may have been contaminated and that can cause illness.

The Athens County Public Information Officer Network offers these tips for dealing with boil orders:

-Bring water to a full boil, and boil for three minutes prior to use.

-Use only boiled water for drinking, preparing food or baby formula. 

-To improve the flat taste of boiled water, keep cold in refrigerator.

-Put a cup over your faucets as a reminder to not use tap water – not even to brush your teeth! 

– Instead of boiling water, you can disinfect water by adding one teaspoon unscented chlorine laundry bleach for every five gallons of water. Let stand 30 minutes before using. 

– Be sure to use sanitized food grade containers for storing water. 

– To disinfect water storage containers, pour a solution of one tablespoon of unscented chlorine bleach to a gallon of water into a container. Let the solution remain in the container for 10 minutes, then pour out the solution. Rinse with purified water. 

– Boiled or disinfected water can be stored for six months. 

– Dispose of ice cubes. 

-When washing dishes, make sure to sterilize dishes with a final dip in water that has one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water. Disposable tableware is an option during a boil order. 

– It is also recommend you sanitize hands when washing. Again use one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water and rinse hand frequently by pouring rinse over the hands. Use paper towels to dry. 

– Water for bathing doesn’t need to be boiled. Supervise children to avoid water being ingested.