CITY ISSUES LIMITED BOIL-WATER ORDER

The city of Cape Girardeau has issued a boil-water order for 41 customers along North Kingshighway after birds got into a water storage tank.

"We need to stress that this is a localized boil order, and is not citywide," said Tom Taggart of Alliance Water Resources, which operates the city water system.

The affected area runs along North Kingshighway from the Super 8 Motel north to Kingshighway, and includes residential streets along Kingshighway.

Alliance hand-delivered warning notices to the 41 affected customers, Taggart said Wednesday afternoon. Only those who received the warning notices need to follow the boil order.

Boil-water orders typically last 48 hours, Taggart said, but he hoped the order would be lifted this afternoon.

Alliance began getting bad samples from the city water tank in Cape County Park at the end of September. Further investigation revealed birds had gotten into the tank through an open space left in a vent screen, Taggart said.