Boil-water advisory lifted for Nassau communities

A boil-water advisory has been lifted after no contamination was detected in parts of Nassau County where a water main break and loss of water pressure had caused public health concerns, county officials said Sunday.

The Nassau County Department of Health said a successful repair of the 20-inch water main on Winona Avenue in Baldwin, the return of normal water pressure and lab testing of the water led them to lift the order for customers of Liberty New York Water in Baldwin, Island Park, Oceanside, Roosevelt and South Hempstead. Two sets of 10 samples of water had been taken Friday and Saturday to test for contamination.

“Residents in these communities no longer need to boil their water before use,” Alyssa Zohrabian, a health department spokesperson, said in a statement. “Although the water sample results showed no bacterial contamination, it is recommended to run all faucets for at least 3 to 5 minutes before using the water due to the previous low pressure.”

Health care facilities, commercial buildings with multiple stories, and apartment buildings are advised to flush all faucets for 10 to 15 minutes before use, the health department added.

Those who use water in the affected areas had been advised since Friday to boil water or use bottled water until the lab tests showed no contamination, Zohrabian said.

“Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Discard any ice made [Friday] and turn off ice makers,” a health department news release said.

The Nassau County Health Department issued the release after the water main break around 3 p.m. Friday in Baldwin. It caused an outage for about 30,000 customers, Liberty New York Water spokesperson Pamela Bellings previously said.

Bellings said the break was repaired and all customers were fully restored as of 8 a.m. Saturday.

The health department advises that those seeking more information to contact Liberty New York Water at 877-426-6999 or the Nassau County Health Department at 516-227-9692.

With John Asbury