MINBURN, Iowa — The city of Minburn has extended the precautionary bottled water advisory issued Tuesday by the Iowa DNR until at least Friday, according to city authorities.
Minburn residents should use an alternate source of water for drinking until notified that the water is safe to drink.
The advisory was issued after the town lost water pressure Monday following a water main break. While repairing the first leak, contractors found a second and then a third leak. As the repairs are completed, water lines are disinfected and flushed.
“They had to do a second fix yesterday,” Minburn City Council member Joe Stuetelberg said Thursday morning, “so that caused the water mains to lose pressure again. So it all kind of started over from yesterday basically.”
Stuetelberg said the city must submit for testing two water samples Thursday and two samples Friday. Once the water samples show no bacteria are present, the city will lift the drinking water advisory, he said. Until that time, Minburn remains under the bottle water advisory.
The DNR recommends that water customers use bottled water for infants. Do not give the water to infants less than six months old or use it to make infant formula. The water may have levels of manganese above the health advisory level, which may affect infants’ learning and behavior.
For older children and adults, the city and DNR recommend using bottled water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth or preparing food. Tap water can safely be used for bathing and similar uses. Do not boil the water as it may increase manganese levels.
The DNR recommends that pregnant women and those with specific health concerns may want to check with their doctors.
“Our water system is very old and outdated,” Stuetelberg said, “It’s a project we’ve got to work on, but obviously it’s a huge project for a small town.”
For more information, contact Minburn City Councilman Joe Stuetelberg at 515-419-1183 or Water Supply Operator Mitch Johnson at 515-669-1103.
