The City of Richmond Hill is issuing this advisory due to the loss of pressure caused by a water leak repair near Plantation Apartments disrupting the water supply or causing water pressure in parts of the water system to drop to very low levels.

The advisory is being issued out of an abundance of caution – there is the potential a health hazard may exist due to microbial contamination in these areas without positive pressure.

In order to protect the public from a potential health hazard, customers that have experienced water outages and/or low water pressures are advised to use only boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking, cooking, or preparing food.

To properly boil tap water for use, customers should:

■ Heat water until bubbles come quickly from the bottom of the container;

■ Continue heating the water for one minute once it begins to boil;

■ Remove the water from the heat source and allow to cool before use.

During a Boil Water Advisory, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that boiled tap water or bottled water be used for the following:

■ Drinking

■ Brushing teeth

■ Washing food and preparing food and baby formula

■ Making ice

■ Drinking water for pets

Other activities such as cloth washing, dish washing and other uses can be done without boiling tap water, if done properly. The complete CDC guidance can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/water-emergency/about/drinking-water-advisories-an-overview.html

The advisory is in effect until the City of Richmond Hill has done the appropriate testing to be confident that there is no longer a public health concern. Customers will be notified immediately when the Advisory is lifted. Once the Advisory is lifted, all faucets should be flushed for a minimum of two minutes before use for drinking or food preparation.