A boil-water advisory remains in effect for Saxman residents and will likely continue for a few more days. The city of about 400 just south of Ketchikan has been under the notice since Friday evening, due to complications with replacing the filtration system for its water treatment tank.
Robert Sero is the city’s water operator. He said if residents don’t boil their water, they may see minor health effects like an upset stomach.
“I don’t believe there’s anything in the water that can cause very serious harm,” Sero said. “The water that we’re making is good, but it’s just a precaution because the tank was so low.”
Sero explained that during the several days that the city was replacing the filters, they weren’t able to process new water, so the reserves in the tank were running low. He said the levels were so low that it was allowing sediment to get into the water supply.
Tap water is still being filtered and treated through all the normal chemical processes, Sero said, but the city is asking residents to boil drinking water to kill any potential microbes. Water should be brought to a rolling boil, boiled for one minute and then allowed to cool.
Sero said city representatives went door-to-door in Saxman on Friday informing residents and handing out fliers. He said they haven’t received any complaints about the water quality.
The new filtration system is up and running now, and Sero said once the water levels return to normal the city will lift the boil notice, hopefully by the end of the week.
