Austin must boil water while health authorities warn of bacteria

Recent floods have prompted Austin City leaders to say that immediate action is needed to keep the city from running out of water. "It is imperative not only to boil the water that you will consume, but also to do everything you can to reduce the amount of water you use until we can get through." through this event, "said Greg Meszaros, director of water in Austin.

The city's warning sent crowds of people rushing to buy bottled water, stripping store shelves, reported CBS News correspondent David Begnaud.

"After seeing so many people, I thought I should probably have three cases," said Monica Marcano, a resident of Austin.

Health officials said that tap water could contain bacteria and viruses that could make people sick.

"These organisms are extremely small and even potentially a drop of affected water could be enough to cause disease," said Dr. Harry Thomas.

Historical floods have resulted in the fouling of mud, silt and other contaminants in the Colorado River and surrounding lakes that supply Austin water. In response, the city has shut down parts of its three treatment plants for cleaning. Customers in Austin consume an average of 120 million gallons of water a day.

"Normally, we could produce more than 300 million gallons a day. We have not exceeded $ 100 million in the last two days, "said Meszaros.

The restaurants in the city are among the hardest hit. Many homeowners have closed their doors until they can reopen safely.

"It's the first time in history that we have a problem like this, so we can not take it lightly," said Yamil Hernandez of Morelia Mexican Grill.

According to officials, so far, no test has revealed the presence of bacteria in the drinking water, but there is still a chance for people to get sick. According to the CDC, most household water filters usually do not kill bacteria and viruses, and you need to boil the water for at least three minutes to make it drinkable.