Boil-water advisory

[1] Under a BWA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that water be brought to a rolling boil for one minute before it is consumed in order to kill protozoa, bacteria, and viruses.

[1] BWA's are typically issued when monitoring of water being served to consumers detects E. coli or other microbiological indicators of sewage contamination.

While loss of pressure does not necessarily mean the water has been contaminated, it does mean that pathogens may be able to enter the piped-water system and thus be carried to consumers.

[4] The first known modern boil-water advisory based solely on germ theory and unfettered by extraneous and irrelevant advice was distributed in 1866 during the last of three major cholera outbreaks that ravaged London in the 19th century.

[citation needed] A recent boil-water advisory occurred in Asheville, NC as a result of Hurricane Helene.