LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - With Laredo’s current Boil Water Notice, some customers could find themselves asking: “What’s safe and what isn’t?”

A Boil Water Notice (BWN) is issued when a violation poses an acute health threat to customers. According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) website, the BWN must be issued by the public water system as soon as possible, but in no case later than 24 hours after the violation or condition occurs.

So what should customers do while on a BWN? TCEQ says water for drinking or other human consumption should be boiled and cooled prior to use. Their website states, “the water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes.”

Tips for boiling water include: fill a pot with water, heat the water until bubbles comes from the bottom of the pot to the top. Once the water reaches a rolling boil, let it boil for two minutes. Turn off the heat source and let the water cool, then pour the water into a clean container with a cover for storage.

TCEQ has suggestions for different types of water use.

For preparing and cooking food: Wash all fruits and vegetables with boiled water that has cooled or with bottled water. Bring water to a rolling boil for 2 minutes before adding food to cook. Use boiled water when preparing drinks, such as coffee, tea, and lemonade. Wash food preparation surfaces with boiled water.

For feeding babies and using formula: Use ready-to-use baby formula, if possible. Prepare powdered or concentrated baby formula with bottled water. Use boiled water if you do not have bottled water. Disinfect water for baby formula if you cannot boil your water. Wash and sterilize bottles and nipples before use. If you cannot sterilize bottles, try to use single-serve, ready-to-feed bottles.

For ice making: Do not use ice from ice trays, ice dispensers, or ice makers. Throw out all ice made with tap water. Make new ice with boiled or bottled water.

For bathing and showering: Be careful not to swallow any water when bathing or showering. Use caution when bathing babies and young children. Consider giving them a sponge bath to reduce the chance of them swallowing water.

For brushing teeth: Brush teeth with boiled or bottled water. Do not use untreated tap water.

For washing dishes: Household dishwashers generally are safe to use if the water reaches a final rinse temperature of at least 150 degrees or if the dishwasher has a sanitizing cycle.

To wash dishes by hand: Wash and rinse the dishes as you normally would using hot water. In a separate basin, add 1 teaspoon of unscented household liquid bleach for each gallon of warm water. Soak the rinsed dishes in the water for at least one minute. Let the dishes air dry completely.

It is safe to do laundry as usual. Pets can get some of the same diseases as people. It is a good idea to give them boiled water that has been cooled too. Boil tap water even if it is filtered. Most kitchen and other household water filters typically do not remove bacteria or viruses.

The BWN will be lifted once the public water system corrects the condition or determines that the water does not pose an acute health risk. The public water system must flush and disinfectant residuals must be consistently above regulatory minimums in the affected area or entire distribution system. Once the public water system is returned to normal operating parameters and the collected bacteriological samples are marked as special and have obtained negative coliform results, the BWN can be rescinded.

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