01/25/2026
RUSH CITY DRINKING WATER - BOIL WATER ADVISORY
Rush City water may be contaminated due to loss of pressure on January 24, 2026
What should you do?
Do not drink water before boiling it or use a safe alternative source.
Bring all water to a full, rolling boil, let it boil for one minute or longer, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in water.
A safe alternative source includes bottled water.
After the system has restored pressure and lifted the advisory, its recommended consumers flush their building plumbing systems.
What may be the health effects?
Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites which can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.
Symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, it is recommended you seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice from their health care providers about drinking water.
What happened? What is being done?
On January 24, 2026 at approximately 7:15 p.m. we experienced a loss of pressure in our water system due to a battery back-up failure of the master water treatment plant controls. A loss of water pressure means that contamination could have entered our drinking water distribution system, which may contain bacteria that could make you sick. The affected area includes everyone connected to the Rush City water system. Within 30 minutes of notification, water pressure was restored to the system. We are required by the Minnesota Department of Health to complete four water tests as soon as possible. These tests will be delivered to the lab when they open on Monday morning. We will let you know when tests show the water is safe to drink and you no longer need to boil your water. We expect to receive the results of the samples by Tuesday, January 27th.
Please share this information with other people who drink this water and who may not have received this notice directly (people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, businesses, etc.). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
For more information
For more information, please contact Administrator Amy Mell at City Hall at 320-358-4743. Do not call 911.
Please refer to: Community Drinking Water Advisory Guidance (PDF) (https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/docs/com/dwaguidance.pdf)
You can also call the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1(800) 426-4791 for general guidelines regarding water quality safety.
This notice is being sent to you by Rush City Water System. Water System ID 1130123. Date Distributed: 1/24/26
