Boil Water Advisory Updates

2:21 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11

We have been given the all-clear and the water boil advisory has been lifted by the Augusta Utilities Department. We appreciate your efforts to ensure quality care and service during this situation.

12:07 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11

The boil water advisory is still in effect. We will continue our boil water procedures as a precaution until our leadership deems it safe to resume normal activities. We will let you know when we have the “all clear” at Augusta University.

10:04 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 11

Though the Augusta Utilities Department is expected to lift the boil water advisory around 9:30 a.m., we will continue our boil water procedures as a precaution until our leadership deems it safe to resume normal activities.  We have procedures in place to ensure our water is safe for consumption, and we anticipate that it may take three to four hours to complete the task. We appreciate your patience, and we are working quickly to resolve this issue.

We will let you know when we have the “all clear” at Augusta University.

4:08 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10

The Incident Command Center leadership has provided the following updates:

• Hand hygiene- It is recommended that you first wash your hands with soap and water, then follow with alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Personal water consumption- You are encouraged to bring your own bottled water for personal consumption needs.
• Evening/Night shift- If you have operational questions tonight, contact the nursing supervisor.

As a reminder, we are still under a boil water advisory until further notice.

Thank you for all of your efforts to keep patient care, classes and other operations running smoothly. You have represented our university well.

2:03 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10

Many of you have asked where bottled water is available for purchase during the boil water advisory. Currently, bottled water is for sale in the following campus locations:

• Allgood Hall Café
• Jaguar Student Activities Center Cafeteria
• J. Harold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons Café
• Wellness Center
• Terrace Dining
• Various vending machines (as supplies last)

10:58 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10

Terrace Dining is still open today, but following water precautions.

10:58 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10

The contractors working on the Laney-Walker enhancement project have hit a stub on the city water line. A section of the city water main line must be shutdown for repairs by the Augusta Utilities Department, and several buildings on the Health Sciences Campus will have no domestic water for roughly one hour.

Buildings impacted include the Kelly Administration Building (AA), Greenblatt Library (AB), Sickle Cell Center and Hulsman Lab (AC), Cancer Research Building (AR), Environmental Services Building (AG), and Hamilton Wing – Research and Education Building (CL).

This is not related to the boil advisory issued for Richmond County and should be repaired quickly.

10:04 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10

Operations at Augusta University and its health system continue as normal today, with minor disruptions in elective care, despite the boil water advisory for Richmond County. All clinical and university units in the enterprise, including the Children’s Hospital of Georgia, are in operation.

Students, faculty and staff should report to classes as usual.

Patients, faculty and staff have been cautioned not to consume or use water that has not been boiled until further notice.

As a Level 1 trauma center, Augusta University Medical Center is prepared for situations such as these.

The Augusta Utilities Department expects the boil advisory to be in effect through at least mid-day Thursday, Feb. 11.

University and health system officials have been working diligently to address how this will affect various units in our enterprise, especially patient care areas.

Additional updates will be provided as necessary.

11:40 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9

BOIL WATER ADVISORY CONTINUES

Do not consume or use water that has not been boiled until further notice. Due to a boil water advisory for Richmond County, we have initiated special precautions and protocols to protect our patients, families, faculty, students, and staff. Because of potential risks, the following response plan is being implemented.

PLEASE READ ALL OF THESE ITEMS CAREFULLY

PATIENT CARE NEEDS

• Bottled water will be provided to patients for consumption.
• Visitors need to be notified of the advisory and alerted to avoid tap water consumption.
• All ice machines, water fountains, and beverage dispensers have been taken out of service.  These will be purged and cleaned prior to being put back into service.
• Food and Nutrition Services have been notified to boil water for use per the recommendations.
• Tap water is to be avoided for use with infants (even bathing) aged 0-24 months; also avoid use in patients greater than 24 months if immunocompromised.
• Tap water is to be avoided for mixing oral medications and enteral preparations.
• Solutions prepared with water just prior to the alert before 6:00 PM on February 9th should be discarded.
• Procedures requiring the use of tap water, I.e. hydrotherapy with open wounds, should be suspended until the advisory is lifted.
• IF AN OPEN BOTTLE OF WATER IS TAKEN INTO A PATIENT ROOM, IT MUST BE LEFT BEHIND.

HAND HYGIENE AND SURGICAL SCRUB:

• Alcohol based hand sanitizer is the preferred hand hygiene method unless contraindicated. If hands are visibly soiled, after toileting, after care of patients on enteric contact precautions for pathogens like C. difficile, hands should first be washed with soap and water, then followed with the alcohol based hand sanitizer.
• For surgical scrubs – a 5-minute surgical scrub with approved product and water should be done the prior to the first case of the day followed with Avaguard waterless surgical scrub per protocol immediately following the 5-minute scrub.   Avaguard should be used for procedures during the day.

PERSONAL USE:

• DO NOT USE COFFEE POTS, KEURIG COFFEE BREWERS EVEN IF HARD PLUMBED.
• If you live outside of Richmond county, please consider bringing potable water for use.
• Limited bottled water will be available for staff.

WE WILL PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION AS THE ADVISORY IS LIFTED.

8:32 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9

The Augusta Utilities Department has experienced a brief incident of high turbidity in finished water at the Highland Avenue Water Treatment Plant. The service area for the Highland Avenue plant is the area North of Gordon Highway, Fort Gordon and East Augusta.  This area includes all Augusta University campuses and all health system facilities in Richmond County.

In order to protect the public from a potential health hazard, all citizens in the service area are advised to “boil” all water prior to use for drinking, cooking, or preparing baby food. The water should be boiled for at least one minute after reaching a rolling boil.

Citizens should continue to boil their water until they are notified by their drinking water utility that the water system has been restored to full operation, and that the microbiological quality of the water in the distribution system is safe for human consumption.

University and health system officials have been working diligently to address how this will affect various units in our enterprise, especially patient care areas. To find out what additional precautions and protocols are in place for your unit, please contact your supervisor.

Note:

1. The Drinking Water Permitting & Engineering Program of the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has issued this public advisory. Please take the necessary steps to issue this notice by radio & TV announcements, by newspaper, and/or hand delivery. Make sure that all your water customers have been notified of this public advisory.
2. The boil water notice must remain in effect until testing is completed and Georgia EPD determines theaffected areas and the water quality in these areas has been demonstrated to be microbiologically safe to
   drink.

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