If You Receive a Boil Water Notice:
What happened?
Usually, boil water notices are issued when an event causes the water system to lose pressure. Most pipe breaks are due to development or construction projects. There is a possibility that low water pressure inside the pipes could allow the water to be contaminated.
How will we let you know?
We will use some or all of the following notification methods, depending on the size of the affected area:
- We hand deliver notices door to door.
- Local newspapers, radio and television stations are notified.
- Announcements are posted on this website and a red banner will be displayed accross the top of the page.
- Announcements are posted on social media, including:
- Twitter @CityGladstone
- Instagram @city_of_gladstone
- Facebook @cityofgladstoneoregon
- Nextdoor Gladstone
- We also notify the local health department with every occurrence.
What is the health concern?
It is possible that there are harmful bacteria in the water after a pressure loss. Although waterborne diseases are extremely rare, they can be serious. Potential harmful bacteria include fecal coliforms and E. coli, which are bacteria whose presence indicates that he water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. The risk is higher for infants, the elderly, and persons with immune deficiency disorders.
What do you do?
- Disinfect water used for drinking (including pets), cooking, brushing teeth, rinsing contact lenses, shaving and making ice. Use one of the following methods:
- Boiling. Boil water vigorously for 2 minutes after it reaches a full boil.
- Chlorine bleach. Use only unscented liquid chlorine bleach (granular bleach is poisonous). If water is clear, add 2 drops of bleach per quart of water (8 drops per gallon). If water is cloudy, add 4 drops per quart (16 drops per gallon). Mix well and let stand for 30 minutes.
- Purification tablets. These are available at drug stores or camping outlets. Follow the directions on the package. Tablets become less effective with age, discard or replace after one year.
- Use bottled water.
- Water does not need to be disinfected for bathing, showering or laundry. Dishes can be washed as long as you can use hot water, otherwise disinfect.
What do we do?
Repairing pipe breaks is our highest priority. Following repair, we flush the water system to ensure water quality, and then take bacteriological samples over a 48-hour period. The lab results are reviewed, and we then issue a discontinue boil water notice using the same methods listed above.
What do you do after the discontinue boil water notice?
- Flush the water out of your distribution lines.
- Start with an outdoor faucet furthest from your meter and flush all outdoor faucets.
- Run hot water through each indoor faucet until you notice a change in water temperature.
- Remove the aerator before flushing kitchen and bathroom sink faucets.
- Run enough hot water to flush the hot water heater.
- If you have an automatic ice maker, empty the ice tray several times to ensure that the line to the ice maker is flushed.
If water service is disrupted for more than 12 hours
- Turn off all appliances that draw water, such as ice makers, hot water heaters, heat pumps, etc., to prevent damage.
- Your water heater is a potential source of drinking and cooking water if you have not used hot water since the pipe break. Turn off the incoming water valve and power to the water heater. Water may be drawn through the valve at the bottom of the heater. When water service is restored, make sure the tank has refilled before restoring power to the heater.
- Do not use swimming pool water for drinking or cooking.
- If your toilet works but you do not have running water to refill the tank, use pool water or other non-disinfected water and minimize flushing. If there is no way to refill the tank, you can line the toilet with a plastic garbage bag. After use, tie the bag tightly and store in a secure container, such as a garbage can with a tight lid, for later disposal.
How can you contact us?
- Monday- Friday 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM: 503-656-7957
- After hours: 503-655-8211
Sudden Loss of Water Pressure? Brown Water? No Water?
If you're not getting any water from your faucet or notice a sudden loss of pressure, please call the Public Works Department immediately.
What if your water has an "earthy" or "musty" smell and/or taste?
In late summer or early fall we can experience taste and odor issues in our drinking water. This is typically due to algae in the river. All water providers who use the Clackamas River as a drinking water source have been tracking customer complaints for several years to see if there is a link between Blue Green Algal blooms in the North Fork Reservoir and taste and odor complaints, but there has not been a strong correlation.
There are protocols set up to do additional sampling when water providers begin to receive taste and odor complaints. The lower river also experiences blooms of green algae that may be a contributor to these problems. There is no indication that these taste and odor issues are a health hazard.
The earthy, musty taste and odor are, however, aesthetically unpleasant. Often the odor is more obvious when one is in the shower or washing dishes. Heating the water seems to exaggerate the odor. Again, there is no indication of a health hazard connected with these events. Chilling the water before drinking can improve the taste. Generally the events are short-lived and disappear with cooler temperatures and fall rains.
What if your water is brown when it comes out f the faucet?
If your home or business has old galvanized pipes, they can give water a reddish-brown or yellowish appearance. It is most noticeable if the water has been sitting in the pipes for an extended period of time. Iron is the cause of this color. Discolored water rarely causes health problems. Flowing the water for a few minutes usually clears the discoloration. Occasionally maintenance or firefighting activities can result in customers receiving discolored water, even when using best management practices to prevent it. Again, flushing the plumbing in your home is needed to replace the discolored water.
What is the best way to flush out discolored water?
Refrain from using any hot water until the discoloration is gone. Also, tiny particles of debris may plug up faucet screens restricting the flow of water, so you may need to remove the screen heads before flushing inside lines.
- Flow the discolored water from your cold water taps only, starting with the outside hose bibs.
- Flush the closest hose bib to your water meter, then the farthest, before opening any faucets inside your home or business.
- Note: If you experience any sputtering of air with the water:
- keep flushing the outside hose bibs first
- then, find the cold-water faucet that is the highest point in your home (usually the bathroom shower head)
- keep flushing it until no air is present.
- Note: If you experience any sputtering of air with the water:
- Flow water until the discolored water disappears from your outside hose bibs (this can take 15-25 minutes, depending on the length of your service line).
- Perform a similar process indoors – closest cold-water faucet to your water meter, then the farthest cold-water faucet from your water meter.
- Flow water from all cold-water taps inside and flush each toilet several times.
The hot-water line should also be flushed after all the cold-water lines are clean. Hot water lines shouldn’t have as much discoloration or debris in the lines, so a quick flush before reinstalling the screen heads should do the trick!
If the water does not clear after complete flushing, contact the Gladstone Public Works Department at 503-656-7957 to report the problem. We will investigate the problem as soon as possible.