Lafayette Utilities issues boil advisory, urges water conservation to maintain pressure

Lafayette Utilities System has issued a boil advisory for residents and businesses in the area north of I-10.

Customers in the affected area need to boil their water for at least one full minute prior to drinking, making ice, brushing their teeth, using it for food prep or rinsing food.

The one-minute starts after the water has been brought to a rolling boil.

To see if your home or business is in the affected area, please visit LUS’s Outage & Events map at https://www.lus.org/map/.

If you suspect a leak, try to identify where the leak is and turn the water off at the hand cut-off. The hand cut-off valve is found a few feet from the meter. If you cannot locate the hand cut-off valve, please dial 311.

LUS asks all residential and business customers to assess their water lines for any leaks or breaks and to continue water conservation measures.

• Do not drip/run water from your faucets

• Be on the lookout for water in unexpected areas

• Report any water pooling or flooding in your neighborhood or other areas to 311

To ensure water safety and quality, the advisory will remain in effect until water pressure is normalized and collected water samples are cleared by the Louisiana Department of Health-Office of Public Health.

With snow counting to fall and temperatures below freezing expected until Wednesday, LUS reminds residents that water conservation is essential to maintaining sufficient water pressure in the system.

According to LUS, damage from frozen and burst pipes in the system can cause a drop in water pressure, along with overuse of water by customers.

If water pressure drops below a certain threshold, customers will need to boil water before use. By reducing water usage, LUS said it can continue to maintain adequate water pressure levels.

LUS and its wholesale customers are asking that customers pause any high-water consumption activities, including turning off any faucets that may be left on or left running overnight as well as reducing washing machine and dishwasher usage.

Tips to keep your household warm while reducing risks:

• Keep your fireplace clean when in regular use

• Turn space heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed

• Don’t use a space heater if the cord is damaged

• Never use an oven to heat your home

• Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from all heat sources

To report a power outage, please call (337) 291-9200. To report an issue with water or wastewater, please call (337) 291-5700. For other service requests, please dial 311.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Lafayette Utilities issues boil advisory, urges water conservation