Boil water advisory issued for northern Cape Girardeau

A significant portion of northern Cape Girardeau is under a boil water advisory through 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24.

City officials issued the advisory for 5,747 addresses after a water main break had been repaired. A release from the city indicates water is flowing to the affected addresses and no known contamination has been documented, “but water safety testing and verification is a two-day process”.

The release says those in affected residences should not consume tap water during this period unless otherwise notified. Use only bottled water or water that has been boiled for three to five minutes for drinking, washing dishes, washing fruits/vegetables, making ice cubes or brushing teeth.

The timing of the boil water advisory hits at Thanksgiving weekend, as families prepare for large gatherings and feasts.

Schnucks grocery store manager Rob Reddick said the timing of the advisory came too late for the store to add water and ice supplies.

“What we’ve got in stock is what we’re going to have,” he said. “We’ve already seen some people coming in buying gallons of water.”

Reddick said the store had plenty of water and ice on hand Wednesday afternoon, but he didn’t know if supplies would last. “If Thanksgiving wasn’t tomorrow, it would be different, but we’re dead in the water at this point, no pun intended.”

Individuals in the affected area who did not receive a notification may register for such alerts at cityofcape.org/getalerts.