Here’s WHY You Should Boil Your Water Before Drinking It

As frustrating as this winter storm experience has been in East Texas, the latest problem we have to deal with is having to boil our water for the next few days.

If you don't have bottled water already, boiling water is essential to your survival to kill off any bacteria that may make you sick. You want to boil any water that you get out of the tap that may involve human consumption including cooking and brushing your teeth.

Here's what you should do if you have a boil water advisory in your area:

• Bring water to a full rolling boil for 1 minute (at elevations above 6,500 feet, boil for three minutes)
• Allow the water to cool before use
• Boil tap water, even if it is filtered
• Don't use water from any appliance connected to your water line, such as ice and water from a refrigerator
• Breastfeeding is the best infant feeding option. If you formula feed your child, provide ready-to-use formula, if that's available

ABC 13 out of Houston recently spoke to Dr. Christine Le, a family medicine specialist at Kelsey-Seybold about the possible risks associated with drinking tap water that hasn't been boiled.

So please remember to boil your water and avoid consuming it for the next few days.