SAVANNAH – The City of Savannah has issued a boil water advisory for specific water customers in the Savannah city limits, areas of Unincorporated Chatham County, areas of Effingham County, Pooler, Port Wentworth, Bloomingdale, Thunderbolt, Vernonburg, and Prosperity Drive in Garden City effective immediately due to elevated turbidity in the water supply. The affected areas are indicated in the attached map.
Water customers on Whitemarsh Island, Wilmington Island, Dutch Island, Skidaway Island, Tybee Island, Georgetown-Gateway, and customers along Little Neck Road and Hwy 204 west of I-95 are not affected.
City crews are testing water samples throughout the evening and coordinating with Georgia Environmental Protection Division staff. As a precaution, customers in the affected areas are advised to boil water intended for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, and preparing baby formula until the advisory is lifted. Water should be brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute before use.
Customers should continue to boil their water until they are notified by public health or their drinking water utility that the water system has been restored to full operation and the water is safe to drink.
To properly boil water:
- Fill a pot with water.
- Heat the water until bubbles come from the bottom of the pot to the top.
- Once the water reaches a rolling boil, let it boil for at least 1 minute.
- Turn off the heat source and let the water cool.
- Pour the water into a clean container with a cover for storage.
Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
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More Information
The City’s Industrial & Domestic (I&D) Water Treatment Plant (WTP) processes approximately 50 Million Gallons Per Day (MGD) of water drawn from Abercorn Creek. The I&D plant processes the water through a carefully regulated process to produce potable water which is then distributed to customers. The process to create potable water includes the addition of aluminum sulfate (alum), a coagulant that binds particles in the water causing them to separate and be more easily removed. Calculations are performed by plant operators during the treatment process to determine the optimal amount of alum needed to treat the water. Operators monitor the process by checking the turbidity state, which is the condition or quality of opaqueness due to presence of suspended particles.