Boil Water Advisory Issued for City of Fort Scott Bourbon County
Summary
KDHE has issued a boil water advisory for the City of Fort Scott, Bourbon Co RWD 2C, and City of Uniontown public water supply systems in Bourbon County, Kansas, effective April 18, 2026. The advisory was triggered by a waterline break causing loss of pressure in Fort Scott's distribution system, which may have compromised chlorine residuals and allowed bacterial contamination. Affected customers are advised to boil water for one minute before drinking or food preparation, or use bottled water.
“Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation or use bottled water.”
What changed
KDHE issued a boil water advisory effective April 18, 2026, for three public water systems in Bourbon County, Kansas after a waterline break caused loss of pressure in the City of Fort Scott's distribution system. The advisory recommends boiling water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation, using bottled water, disposing of ice cubes, and disinfecting food contact surfaces. The advisory will remain in effect until KDHE rescinds it following laboratory testing.
Food establishments and residential customers served by these water systems should follow the precautionary measures until KDHE officially rescinds the advisory. Only KDHE can issue a rescind order following certified laboratory testing. Restaurants and other food establishments with questions can contact the Kansas Department of Agriculture's food safety program.
Archived snapshot
Apr 21, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Boil Water Advisory Issued for the City of Fort Scott, Bourbon Co RWD 2C and City of Uniontown, Bour
Press Releases - Boil Water Advisories Posted on April 20, 2026 | Last Updated on April 20, 2026
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has issued a boil water advisory for the City of Fort Scott, Bourbon Co RWD 2C, and City of Uniontown public water supply systems located in Bourbon County. This advisory does not affect those customers of city of Fulton nor those of city of Prescott.
Customers should observe the following precautions until further notice:
- Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation or use bottled water.
- Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker.
- If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.
- Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.
- Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing so that water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians. The advisory took effect on April 18, 2026 and will remain in effect until the conditions that placed the system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved. KDHE officials issued the advisory because of a waterline break in the city of Fort Scott’s distribution system, resulting in a loss of pressure in the distribution system. Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination. The City of Fort Scott water system provides water to Bourbon Co RWD 2C, who provides water to city of Uniontown.
Regardless of whether the public water supplier or Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) announced a boil water advisory, only KDHE can issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.
For consumer questions, please contact the City of Fort Scott water system at 620-223-5160, or Bourbon Co RWD 2C water system at 620-223-1110, or the city of Uniontown water system at 620-756-4742, or KDHE at 785-296-5514. For consumer information please visit KDHE’s PWS Consumer Information webpage:
https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/468/Disruption-in-Water-Service
Restaurants and other food establishments that have questions about the impact of the boil water advisory on their business can contact the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s food safety & lodging program at [email protected] or call 785-564-6767.
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