About 230 homes in the city of Fayetteville are being asked to boil their water after a water main break in the city.
The break happened on South Jeff Davis Drive late Tuesday afternoon and recent updates indicated that they were still working to repair the damage and could continue for at least five hours.
As a precaution, the city is asking residents to boil water for at least 24 hours in the Sutherland Farms and Highland Park subdivisions.
The precautionary measure follows a drop in water pressure that resulted from the break and could have allowed foreign matter to enter the water system. It also means that residents in the impacted areas should avoid drinking water without first allowing it to come to a boil for at least 3 minutes to kill bacteria and other organisms that could be in it.
This properly sanitized water should be used for making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and food preparation as well to avoid any risk of illness. While a contamination can cause nausea, diarrhea, cramps, and headaches in adults, it is also known to be more dangerous to those with weakened immune systems such as the very young and very old.
Once the water line is repaired, authorities will perform tests on the water to see if there was anything of concern in the water.
