NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A boil water advisory has been issued by the Westchester County Department of Health for the following municipalities served by the United Water Rate District #1 and will remain in effect on Wednesday, May 27 from 10 a.m. through midnight. Approximately 150,000 people are in the affected areas as follows:
- City of New Rochelle
- Town of Eastchester
- Village of Bronxville
- Village of Tuckahoe
- Town of Pelham
- Village of Pelham
- Village of Pelham Manor
The boil water advisory is being issued as a precautionary measure while New York City Department of Environmental Protection performs scheduled maintenance of its chlorination system resulting in inadequate disinfection of water provided to United Water Rate District #1.
A boil water advisory means that residents in the affected area must boil all tap water at a rolling boil for a minimum of one minute prior to drinking it or using it to prepare food, wash dishes by hand or brush teeth. Restaurants, delis, bodegas and all food service establishments in the affected area also must boil water before serving it or using it to prepare food. Residents also can use bottled water as an alternative to boiling.
The advisory does not extend to bathing, clothes washing or the use of a dishwasher.
Many New Rochelle residents have expressed alarm at the poor communication effort between the Westchester County Department of Health and United Water of New Rochelle and what they say is a lack of timely notice.The New Rochelle School District sent out a robocall at 8:30 p.m. The City never sent out a robocall. They sent out an email newsflash at 10:23 p.m.
Many New Rochelle parents and businesses are operating in a state of confusion.
Caren Halbfinger, spokesperson for the Westchester County Department of Health told Talk of the Sound the boil water advisory was issued by the Westchester County Department of Health at 4:30 p.m.
Talk of the Sound never received a copy of the advisory although Talk of the Sound is on the press list for the Westchester County Department of Health.
United Water says they acted as soon as they were notified by the Westchester County Department of Health.
“United Water immediately notified municipal officials,” said Deb Rizzi, United Water Spokesperson. “We began robo-calls to customers, posted on our website and utilized social media to get the word out.”
Developing…
It’s a Good Thing it’s “Scheduled Maintenance”
By having this type of work “scheduled” ahead of time, it provides the opportunity to send out notice in a timely fashion.. Just another private business/government partnership Charlie-Foxtrot. Think it through, United Water tells DEP “We didn’t know you actually have to perform maintenance”, oh, wait, UW hasn’t reached that level of enlightenment yet.
Everything will be affected
Your children at school ,(Webster was going to run the Webster Mile tomorrow?) your workplace, businesses ( restaurants, deli’s, Dunkin Donuts (holy crap!) , hospitals, senior care facilities, Houses of Worship, daycare facilities, you name it.
Bumbling ineptitude just like Broadway’s “Don’t Drink the Water.”