Here's a question which needs an answer quite urgently. I live in the
area hit by the blackout Thursday. Blessedly, my electricity came on
last evening and I've had air conditioning ever since. That's not my
problem. The problem is water. During the outage, my water pressure
was very low. So low, in fact, that the toilet wouldn't fill by itself
(had to be filled manually with buckets). Now the water pressure is
back up but we are under a "boil-water" advisory. I understand about
drinking water, and I will boil it. But what about showers? Most
specifically, what about dishes that I've washed in the dish washer (I
don't think the alternative, of washing by hand under the tap is any
better)? If there is bad stuff in my water, will it be on my dishes
after the dish washer has had its way with them? I did turn the drying
heat on, which usually I do not do. I've accidentally washed out the
cat's dish with tap water. Is he going to catch something dreadful?
Humor aside, these questions are quite pressing. I guess my question
really is: What about all the other uses of water besides drinking?

Hello again, Andy.

Since your need is urgent, I'm giving this the "rush job." I will be
available to follow up if you have specific areas upon which you want
to focus, but I'm posting this quickly so that you'll have some basic
info right away.

Before I get started, here's a look at the terminology of this sort of
situation:

"The purpose of a boil water notification is protection of public
health in the event that people connected to a water system might
consume bacteria at unsafe levels.  There are three types of boil
water notifications, which are a boil water advisory, boil water
notice, and consumer advisory.

The difference between an advisory and notice is an advisory is issued
as a precautionary measure when there is the possibility of
contamination, such as low pressure (less than 20 psi), low chlorine,
line breaks, spills, floods, etc.

A boil water notice is issued when contamination is confirmed...

A consumer advisory is issued by the Natural Resources and
Environmental Protection Cabinet (NREPC) when the drinking water may
cause adverse human health effects if consumed.  Recommendations on
issuing a consumer advisory vary based on the situation, such as high
nitrates, high organics.  Boiling is not recommended, and will
actually be detrimental."

Commonwealth of Kentucky: Boil Water Notification Overview
http://water.nr.state.ky.us/dw/BoilWater/overview.htm
  
The information I've found indicates that when you're under a boil
water advisory, the only water which must be boiled is water that is
destined to be consumed by drinking (including ice cubes), and water
that is used in the preparation of foods, or that comes into direct
contact with utensils used in eating and drinking. Showering and
handwashing may be conducted in the usual fashion. A dishwasher may be
used normally, with the hottest water setting. Use the heated dry
cycle, as you mentioned. Regarding the rinsing of the cat's dish in
untreated water, it might be a good idea to re-rinse the dish in a
mild bleach solution before serving kitty her kibble. To prepare a
bleach solution that can be used to disinfect dishes, mix 1 oz. (about
30 ml) bleach into 1 gallon (4.5 litres) of water. Do not drink the
bleach solution, just use it to clean any food-related utensils or
serving ware.

Here are some good online discussions of boil water advisories,
including advice on showering, dishwashing, and laundry:

City of Mechanicville: Commonly Asked Questions Regarding Boil Water
Advisories
http://www.mechanicville.com/water/boil_water_FAQ.htm

Instant Knowledge News: Boil Water Advisory? What Now?
http://www.instantknowledgenews.com/p27.htm

Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association: Boil Water Advisory
http://www.crfa.ca/foodsafety/foodsafety_howto_boilwater.htm
 
Renfrew County & District Health Unit: Boil Water Advisory -
Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.rcdhu.com/Boil-water-advisory-FAQ.htm

Elizabethtown Water Company: Common Questions and Answers
http://www.etownwater.com/main_break.htm

New Jersey Department of Health: Boil Water Advisory
http://www.state.nj.us/health/eoh/hhazweb/boil_water.pdf

Google search strategy:

Google Web Search: "boi" + "water" + advisory"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=boil+water+advisory

I hope your community and your household will recover rapidly from the
aftereffects of the power outage. Please let me know if you have
additional needs; I'll target my research precisely to any areas
desired.

Best,
Pink

Miss Pink,
As usual your answer was thorough and precise and I thank you. I'm
going to use the dishes from the dish washer, and I will rinse out the
cat's dish as you advised. Don't know whether he is fond of bleach or
not, but we'll see. Again I thank you. I'll close this item, but we
can continue to communicate on this issue. If I come down with any of
the symptoms mentioned, you'll be the first to know. Well, second,
actually because I'll tell the 911 lady first.

Andy

Andy, 

Regarding the matter of whether the cat might be fond of bleach, you
never know till you try. Cats sometimes find odd things enjoyable, as
detailed in this GA question and answer:

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=229670

I hope kitty doesn't like bleach too much. It would be sad if his
little pink tongue got all pale and blanched by a Clorox binge. ;-)

Seriously, though, I am grateful for the five stars, and please do get
back to me if there's anything further that I can do.

More power to ya!

Pink