How should you safely feed your baby during Wichita’s boil water advisory?

Any baby formula made with Wichita city water probably does not need to be thrown out if it was prepared before 2:30 Tuesday afternoon, city officials said.

Formula prepared after that should follow the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on feeding babies and using formula during a boil advisory:

▪ Breastfeeding is best. Continue to breastfeed. If breastfeeding is not an option:

▪ 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.

The city of Wichita and KDHE announced a boil water advisory for Wichita water customers on Tuesday night after high levels of turbidity and cloudy water were detected in the Wichita water supply due to filtration problems at the city’s 80-plus-year-old water plant.

“It (was detected) around 2:30 or 3 o’clock-ish,” said Alan King, director of public works and utilities. “The boil order wasn’t issued until after that. There is a lag time between when we observed the problem in the water treatment plant and when that slug of water would reach our first and closest customers, so this boil advisory comes well in time to have protected people in the meantime.”

City officials said the “all clear” could come as early as late afternoon or early evening on Wednesday, depending on tests for bacteria in the water. If the tests show bacteria in the water, it could be several more days before Wichita water can be safely consumed without boiling it first.

The boil water advisory applies to the city of Wichita and other public water supply systems that purchase water from Wichita, including Sedgwick County Rural Water Districts 1, 2 and 3; the cities of Valley Center, Kechi and Rose Hill; and El Paso Water Co. (City of Derby).

Until the advisory is lifted, only properly disinfected water should be used for drinking, cooking, washing dishes and brushing your teeth. The safest method for treating water is to boil it for one minute. To do so, bring the water to a full, rolling boil — not just bubbles rising — before you start your timer. Let the water cool before drinking.

To make the water taste better after boiling, add oxygen back to it by pouring the water back and forth between two clean containers. If the water still has a flat taste, you can add a pinch of salt to each quart. If the water is cloudy, you can filter it through a clean cloth, paper towel or coffee filter.

The KDHE offered the following additional tips and things to do during the advisory:

▪ If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.

▪ Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic ice maker.

▪ Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.

▪ Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing so that water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.

Sources: KDHE, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention