Water shut off or a boil water notice? What to do in the first hour
You turn the tap and get a cough of air, or your phone says boil water advisory. Here is what to do, checked against the CDC and Ready.gov. Each answer links to its source.
(Our story THE WATER STOPPED starts on day 3 of exactly this. The story is fiction. Everything below is not.)
1. Stop using the tap for these 7 things
If you know or suspect your water is unsafe, don't use it to drink, wash dishes, brush your teeth, wash or prepare food, wash your hands, make ice, or make baby formula. Use bottled, boiled or treated water, and follow your health department's instructions.
2. Boil it: 1 minute, or 3 if you live high up
Bring clear water to a rolling boil for 1 minute. Above 6,500 feet, boil for 3 minutes. Let it cool, then store it in clean containers with tight covers. Cloudy water? Filter it through a clean cloth, paper towel or coffee filter first (or let it settle and draw off the clear water). Boiled water tastes flat: pour it between two containers, or add a pinch of salt per quart.
3. What boiling can NOT fix
Boiling kills viruses, bacteria and parasites. It does not remove chemicals. Water with fuel or toxic chemicals in it can't be made safe by boiling or disinfecting: use bottled water or another source and call your health department.
4. 5 places you already have safe water
- Your tap water heater tank (the one feeding your faucets, not a radiator or boiler heating tank, which can make you sick)
- Melted ice cubes made with uncontaminated water
- The toilet tank (not the bowl), if the water is clear and has no cleaning chemicals in it
- Liquid from canned fruit and vegetables
- Pool or spa water, but for washing and cleaning only, never drinking
Officials may also tell you to shut your home's main water valve to keep contaminants out of your pipes.
5. No way to boil? The bleach method
Use unscented household chlorine bleach. Ready.gov: add 1/8 teaspoon per gallon, stir, wait 30 minutes. It should smell slightly of bleach. If not, repeat the dose and wait 15 more minutes; still no smell, throw it out and find another source. The CDC says to follow the bleach label first, since US bleach runs 5-9% sodium hypochlorite. Chemicals work less well than boiling against Cryptosporidium and Giardia.
Sources: Ready.gov - Water; CDC - Make Water Safe
6. How much to store for next time
At least 1 gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation. A normally active person needs about 3/4 gallon of fluid a day; children, nursing mothers, sick people and hot climates need more, and in very hot weather needs can double. Replace water you bottled yourself every 6 months.
Source: Ready.gov - Water
More: 10 shelter-in-place facts most people get wrong · what a phone emergency alert really means
This page summarizes official public information, linked under each answer. It is not a substitute for instructions from your local authorities or health department: in a real emergency, follow them first. The stories and narration on this site are AI-generated fiction made by Cliffhanger Studio. Checked 2026-10-24.