Repairs by city of Topeka expected to end boil water advisory; likely cause was the cold

Extreme cold is thought to have caused the problem that forced a precautionary "boil water advisory" to be issued for water provided by Topeka's city government.

"Staff discovered a broken PVC gas pipe on our chlorine gas system," the city said in a document it posted online Monday sharing answers to frequently asked questions about the advisory. "We expect it cracked due to the extreme cold temperatures."

City utilities staff members have fixed the problem, said Taylor Bugg, the city's co-interim communications director.

But the boil water advisory is expected to remain in effect at least through Friday, the city said on its Facebook page.

The advisory was issued after high winds and devastating cold caused the wind chill index here to plunge to 28 degrees below zero at 11 p.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Topeka's wind chill index subsequently rose to minus 14 at 6 p.m. Sunday, then dropped to minus 23 about 5 a.m. Monday.

Dangerous wind chills were expected to continue through Tuesday morning in north-central and northeast Kansas, the weather service's Topeka office said in a graphic linked to its website.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued the boil water advisory Sunday morning after Topeka city officials discovered chlorine residual levels at the water treatment plant did not meet the minimum standard required by regulation, Bugg said. Low water levels and extreme weather had stressed the city’s water system and out-of-range chemical doses threatened to put the system at risk for bacterial contamination, she said.

Later Sunday morning, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued boil water advisories for the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority and Shawnee County Rural Water District 1C, both of which receive their water from the city of Topeka.

The city subsequently identified the problem and carried out the necessary repairs, Bugg said.

City staff members on Monday were working to begin distributing fresh water through the city's system, she said.

"Due to the large water volume that was impacted, it will take some time to ensure that we have safe drinking water throughout our distribution system," Bugg said. "We will allow adequate time before we begin sampling procedures to ensure accurate test results for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment."

The boil water advisory will remain in effect until KDHE concludes the city's water meets its standards, she said. Resolving the problem could take several days.

Don't drink the water — until you boil it

In its boil water advisory, the city of Topeka asked residents to take the following precautions.

• Use bottled water, or boil tap water for one minute before drinking it or using it to prepare food.

• Water used for bathing doesn't need to be boiled but adults should supervise children who are bathing to make sure they don't ingest water. People with cuts or severe rashes may want to consult their physician before bathing.

• If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.

• Dispose of ice cubes. Don't use ice from household automatic icemakers.

• Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersing them for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.

• For answers to consumer questions, email Topeka's city government at citycommunications@topeka.org or call the KDHE at 785-296-5514.

• Restaurants and other food establishments with questions about the boil water advisory's impact on their business may email the Kansas Department of Agriculture's food safety and lodging program at kda.fsl@ks.gov or call it at 785-564-6767.

Arrowhead Stadium saw its lowest temperature on record for a game

The temperature at kickoff was minus 4, the fourth lowest on record for an NFL game, for Saturday evening's NFL playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins. The record is minus 13, set during the 1967 NFL championship game between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field.

Saturday evening's mercury reading broke a record for the lowest temperature for a game in Arrowhead Stadium. That had been 1 degree, set during a 1983 contest against Denver and tied during a 2016 game with Tennessee.

The wind chill index at kickoff Saturday was minus 27, the NFL's third lowest on record, the Chiefs' communication team said.

The Chiefs won, 26-7.

Warming Center's closing pushed back until Friday

The Topeka Warming Center at 206 N.W. Norris — which had previously planned to close at noon Tuesday — extended its hours until noon Friday, provided it has sufficient volunteers to staff the center.

The center encouraged members of the public to sign up to volunteer at bit.ly/3tCGlyb or by emailing Jess Barraclough at jbarraclough@uwkawvalley.org.

The public was also asked to donate snacks to be handed out at the center. It was seeking such items as beef sticks, trail mix, donuts, cookies and peanut butter crackers.

TRM Ministries, which runs two homeless shelters in North Topeka, opened the warming center late Jan. 8 to provide refuge and rest for those who are unsheltered and living outside.

Topeka temperatures fell to minus 6 degrees

Saturday evening's Topeka wind chill index of minus 28 fell just short of the minus 29-degree wind chill index recorded in December 2022 during what the National Weather Service described as a "once-in-a-generation" storm.

Topeka's temperature dropped late Saturday to 6 degrees below zero and remained at that level until rising to minus 5 at 10 a.m. Sunday, the weather service's Topeka office said.

Saturday's low temperature for Topeka was minus 6. That fell short of the capital city's record low for Jan. 13 of minus 15, recorded in 1916.

Accidental house fire was related to electrical issue

Occupants of a single-story house at 3321 S.E. Bates Road escaped about 10:20 a.m. Sunday as an accidental fire related to an electrical issue did an estimated $37,850 in damages there, said Rosie Nichols, co-interim communications director for Topeka's city government. No one was hurt.

Shawnee County Jail records say Lisa Yeubanks owns the property involved, which has an appraisal value of $42,960. The address is about two blocks south of N.E. Seward Avenue and a block and a half west of S.E. Rice Road.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Extreme cold likely forced boil water advisory for city of Topeka