Brainerd lifts boil water advisory

Updated: 6:05 p.m.

The city of Brainerd announced Wednesday afternoon that it has lifted the boil water advisory that had been in effect for nearly a week.

In an update at about 3:30 p.m., Brainerd Public Utilities said the latest round of water testing showed no coliform bacteria in the system.

In an update later Wednesday, Brainerd Public Utilities directed residents to guidance suggesting they flush their home water lines by running cold-water faucets for five minutes, or until the water is noticeably colder.

Chlorination and testing of the city water system will continue, but officials said the water is safe to drink.

Brainerd officials had previously said the city does not normally disinfect its drinking water. The Minnesota Department of Health reported that continuous disinfection is not required for all public water systems in the state.

For systems that do disinfect the water supply, the state health department said chlorination is the most commonly used method — with federal guidelines in place to ensure the water remains safe to drink.

The advisory in Brainerd had been issued last Thursday after testing found bacteria in the water supply.

The city said the contamination may have stemmed from construction work last month, but hasn’t yet released any specific information on the source of the contamination.

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