Osage County Kansas Health Department

09/03/2026

09/01/2026

September is Kansas Preparedness Month!

Emergencies can happen anytime, but a little preparation can make a big difference. This month, the Osage County Health Department encourages everyone to take a few simple steps to help keep yourself, your family, and your community safe.

✅ Build or update your emergency kit
💧 Store enough water and nonperishable food
📱 Sign up for emergency alerts
📋 Make an emergency communication plan
💊 Keep important medications and medical information accessible
🔦 Check flashlights, batteries, and other emergency supplies
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Talk with your family about what to do in different emergencies

Preparedness doesn't have to happen all at once—start with one step today!

08/31/2026

EDIT: Service has been restored. We are working on listening to voicemails and getting people called back.

The Health Department is open today with limited services, as we are currently without phones and internet. We are working to reslove the issue and will update everyone once our phone and internet services are restored.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

07/28/2026

07/21/2026

💝Caregivers - we want to make navigating caregiving a little easier. Join our next educational series and enjoy a lunch on us!💝

07/10/2026

Boil Water Advisory Rescinded for City of Quenemo, Osage County

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has rescinded a boil water advisory for the City of Quenemo public water supply system located in Osage County. The advisory was issued because of a waterline break 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.

Public water suppliers in Kansas take all measures necessary to notify customers quickly after a system failure or shutdown. Regardless of whether it’s the supplier or KDHE that announces a boil water advisory, KDHE will issue the rescind notice following testing at a certified laboratory.

Laboratory testing of drinking water samples collected from the City of Quenemo indicate no evidence of bacteriological contamination and all other conditions that placed the system at risk of contamination are deemed by KDHE officials to be resolved.

For consumer questions, please contact the water system at: 785-759-3315 or you may call KDHE at 785-296-5514. For consumer information please visit our webpage: https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/468/Disruption-in-Water-Service.

07/09/2026

Sunflower Summer starts TODAY!
The Sunflower Summer program is a Kansas initiative providing FREE admission to over 200 state attractions for Pre-K through 12th-grade students and one accompanying adult. The season runs annually from July 9 to August 2. Participants must use the official mobile app to claim their passes.

Check it out now https://sunflowersummer.org/

07/08/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

July 8th, 2026

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has issued a boil water advisory for the City of Quenemo public water supply system located in Osage County.

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 July 8, 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 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.

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 water system at 785-759-3315, 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.

When a public water supply system experiences a disruption in service there are precautions that consumers may need to take during and after the incident.

06/15/2026

Our services have been restored!

06/15/2026

The Health Department is open today with limited services, as we are without phones and internet due to the storm taking out the lines. We will update everyone once our phone and internet services are restored.

Thank you for your patience and understanding!