Blaine MN Boil Water Alert – What to Do, Are You at Risk?
Have you heard about the Blaine MN boil water alert? A software glitch caused a dangerous drop in water pressure and the city ran out of water for 2 hours.
Besides the inconvenience, there was potential for a huge health risk. Here’s why:
About 10% of city water is lost through leaks in water mains. When pressure drops, bacteria and virus can enter a water supply through those leaks. Gross huh?
To make matters worse, boil alerts only go out AFTER you may have been at risk.
Let’s take a look at what you can do to protect your water.
Boiling Water for Drinking
Residents were told to boil their water when the Blaine MN Boil alert went out. But how long do you need to boil your water?
Water temperature needs to rise above 185° F to kill pathogens. But some bugs are harder to kill than others. A study found E.coli is killed in 5 minutes, but nasty bugs like Enterovirus take 30 minutes. And yes, Enterovirus has been found in US drinking water.
- E. coli
- Cryptosporidium
- Enterovirus
So if it takes 5 minutes to bring water to boil, then another 30 minutes to be effective, you could be waiting a long time to get a drink of water! You’ll also waste a lot of water as steam.
That brings up another point.
Risks of Boiling Water
You lose water volume in steam. Drinking water contaminants like arsenic, lead, and pesticides remain.
The concentration of heavy metals will actually increase – not good!
Bottom line: make sure your water does not contain any heavy metals before you boil it.
Protect Your Drinking Water for $10 a Month
Adding the correct water treatment system can give you piece of mind. But you need to know what systems are effective:
What Doesn’t Work
- Water Softeners
- Faucet Mount Filters, Water Pitcher Filters, and Refrigerator Filters
- Reverse Osmosis
What Does Work
- UV System
- Ultrafiltration
A UV system is hands down the most cost effective, and easiest to maintain solution to protect your water against pathogens.
A UV water purifier is essentially a big light bulb that zaps the nasty things. It’s simple and effective. Best of all, they only cost about $10/mo to operate (electricity and replacement bulbs).
Did the Blaine MN Boil Water Alert Affect You?
Did the Blaine MN boil water alert affect you or someone you know?
Protecting your water BEFORE there’s a problem is like having a home security system.
You hope you never need it. But it’s there just in case.