Bacteria in water: boiling advice for drinking water in Zeeland and Brabant

Since early Saturday morning, residents of several towns in Zeeland and West Brabant have been advised to boil tap water before use. The Zeeland Safety Region warned that small amounts of bacteria may have entered the water due to a leak in a water pipe in the Brabant village of Nieuw-Vossemeer.

Helaas is de druk weer van de waterleiding in #SintPhilipsland en #AnnaJacobapolder kijk op https://t.co/mpR7StCb4b voor de duur. Ook na oplossen van de storing geldt het preventieve waterkookadvies nog enkele dagen. https://t.co/QtWLBXTOPD

— Zeeland Veilig / VRZ (@VRZ) April 6, 2024

The safety region informed that the recommendation for preventive boiling applies to the Zeeland villages of Sint Philipsland and Anna Jacobapolder, as well as Nieuw-Vossemeer, Heensche Molen, and Steenbergen in Brabant. Residents of these villages should boil their drinking water for three minutes before using it for coffee, tea, lemonade, bottle-feeding, brushing their teeth, or preparing a meal.

Due to the leak, little or no water came out of the taps in several households. The drinking water company Brabant Water worked through the night from Friday to Saturday to restore the drinking water supply. Although the disruption initially appeared to have been resolved, problems with the water pressure in Sint Philipsland and Anna Jacobapolder resurfaced on Saturday morning.

According to the safety region, the boiling advice applies for several days until it can be ensured that the water is free of bacteria.

Brabant Water announced that residents will be informed once the water is bacteria-free and can be used safely. In this case, the people at home will receive a green card.