GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — People in Grand Rapids are finally seeing an end to the boil water advisory that's plagued taps for days, as the city lifted the advisory Wednesday afternoon.
But what these residents do now that the advisory has been lifted, one expert said, is also important to ensure their health and safety.
While new water coming into a home may be clean, Dr. Azizur Molla, a professor of public health at Grand Valley State University, said it's important to flush out possible bacteria and dirty water left over from earlier this week.
"The faucet, and also the water screen or filtration in every water hose, needs to be really replaced or cleaned."
As filters and screens are taken out to be cleaned, running water through faucets and hoses for a certain amount of time to wash away any potential bacteria was another one of Molla's steps.
"Usually, say, 30 minutes [water] should be running," Molla said.
"After that, whenever you're using, particularly the kitchen, then maybe another five minutes, 10 minutes will be better," Molla continued.
Additionally, anything that may have been created using water during the advisory, he said, including refrigerator ice, would need to be thrown out.
"We cannot it was it," Molla said. "And then, also clean up all those filters attached with maybe the refrigerator and and that thing, so that the new ice that's coming is safe to use."
In announcing the lifting of the advisory, the city also recommended a detailed list of steps to take:
Flush plumbing, pipes, and faucets (interior and exterior)
- Unscrew and remove faucet screens/aerators and clean out any particles.
- Run cold water through your faucets and appliances with direct water connections for at least 5 minutes.
- To clear hot water pipes and the water heater of untreated water, run hot water only at all faucets and flush until the water runs cool.
- Put the screens/aerators back on the faucets.
Check appliances/devices
- Remove and replace all water filters, including water coolers, inline filters, and other appliances with direct water connections. The filter could be contaminated if you ran water through any filter during the boil water advisory.
- Always read and follow the owner’s manual for directions to flush and replace filters for all appliances that use water.
- Water dispensers from refrigerators should be flushed by at least one gallon of water, refer to the owner’s manual.
- Dump existing ice and flush the water feed lines, making and discarding three batches of ice cubes.
- After flushing hot water pipes and water heater, run an empty dishwasher one time on the hottest or sanitize cycle.
- Run water softener through a full regeneration cycle.
- Remove and replace filters in portable and furnace humidifiers.
As the city said Wednesday it is pursuing an investigation, Molla said people need to be kept up to date on all information as it becomes available for them to have confidence.
"People need to be informed about that what really happened, so that they are not panicked and then they can be assured," Molla said.