Boil Water Advisories

This information is intended to assist public health professionals by providing protocols for various specialized audiences and contingencies for use if a boil water advisory is issued.

These protocols are designed for individual release, by fax or similar methods, to the appropriate persons at the institutions indicated, and you may wish to release this information to the appropriate persons individually (i.e., not as a news release).

You may also want to set up telephone hotline numbers to handle questions specific to these audiences.

Experience has shown that hotlines operate most effectively with a single number (answered automatically or personally) with one consistent message. Callers can be directed to further basic information via audio, fax, Internet, or other means. Callers can also be directed to medical, sanitation, water, or other appropriate personnel. In this way, callers with general questions can be managed at a general level and callers with specific technical questions can be efficiently directed to appropriate personnel. Also, the following protocols can be distributed more appropriately and efficiently on demand if callers are grouped in this manner. Hotlines are especially useful for addressing the needs of commercial establishments and the public.