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STOCKTON, Tooele — The city of Stockton in Tooele County has issued an order for its residents to boil their tap water due to possible contamination in the city's water system.
Residents should not drink water from their taps unless it has been boiled, according to a Wednesday post on the city's Facebook page. The water needs to be boiled for 3 minutes at a rolling boil and then cooled before it can be used, city officials say. All water used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation needs to be properly boiled.
Residents can also use bottled water.
The boil order comes after two sources of clean city water became unavailable.
The risk of contamination to the city water supply followed the Jacob City Fire, according to the Facebook post. The fire was upstream from the city's water treatment plant intake, so the plant was taken offline due to the risk of contamination from sediment and debris entering the water supply.
Since the fire and the subsequent shutoff at the water treatment plant, city residents have been receiving water from a well, officials say. Now the generator supplying power for the pump at the well has failed.
The treatment plant is processing water, but it is not designed to handle the high amount of sediment that may be entering the system, according to officials. Residents are under the boil order until the city can prove the water is safe to drink.
Untreated water can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches and other symptoms, city officials say. Untreated also water poses a special health risk for babies, infants, the elderly and those who have compromised immune systems.
Unboiled water may contain viruses, parasites and other organisms.
The boil order is in place until further notice.
