Laughlin residents advised to boil tap water after flood

Laughlin residents have been told to boil their tap water before drinking or cooking with it after flash flooding Friday washed dirt and mud into the community‘s water supply.

The order affects all homes and businesses in Laughlin served by the Big Bend Water District, including the resorts along the Colorado River, according to Las Vegas Valley Water District spokesman Bronson Mack.

The storm that hit Laughlin was part of a larger front that led to flash flood warnings throughout Southern Nevada through the weekend, albeit little actual rainfall in the Las Vegas Valley on Saturday, and the closure of all canyons in Zion National Park in southwestern Utah because of flooding fears Saturday.

All this was spawned by Hurricane Delores, which is moving north off the coast of Baja California and Southern California.

The Laughlin tap water boil order was just one of a number of problems that the storms brought to Southern Nevada and southwestern Utah, including the Weather Service issuing flash-flood warnings for several counties.

But Laughlin‘s stormwater caused more than just a flood.

The Big Bend Water District, which is managed by the Las Vegas Valley Water District, issued a mandatory boil order Saturday when tests of the water showed particulate levels five to seven times what is allowed under safe drinking water standards.

Under the order, boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth and preparing food until further notice.

To ensure its safety, tap water should be brought to a roiling boil and kept that way for at least one minute, then cooled and placed in clean containers for use or refrigeration.

The water can be used for bathing and hand washing, though additional disinfection such as hand sanitizer is recommended.

The Red Cross will hand out bottled water to Laughlin customers at the Laughlin Regional Justice Center Saturday night and Sunday, the Las Vegas Valley Water District said in a tweet.

Residents and businesses in Laughlin are also being asked to limit their water use by shutting off outdoor sprinklers and irrigation systems while the boil order is in effect.

Asked how long the order might last, Mack said: "We don‘t know at this point."

This sort of thing is rare. Mack said this is the first mandatory boil order issued in Southern Nevada during his 13 years with the water district.

Laughlin gets its water from the Colorado River near Davis Dam. Flooding from storms Friday washed mud and debris into the river, clouding the water.

Mack said the community‘s water treatment system is designed to remove contaminants but not large amounts of sediment. The concern is that pollutants that would normally be cleaned from the water could attach themselves to sediment particles and "hitchhike" through the treatment process, Mack said.

For more information, Big Bend Water District customers can all the 24-hour customer service number at 702-870-4194.

Back in Las Vegas on Saturday, residents were hit with wind gusts of 40 to 45 mph, which is strong enough to knock down small trees or branches, Weather Service meteorologist Jim Harrison said.

Nellis Air Force Base was hit even harder, with gusts of 58 mph --€” meeting the threshold of what the Weather Service considers severe thunderstorm conditions. No damage was reported on base, though.

Harrison said the wind gusts aren‘t expected to stick around.

Other than the wind, Saturday was a relatively comfortable day in Las Vegas, with a high of 95 degrees and a low of 79, along with 40 percent humidity, he said.

The flash-flood watch, warning that weather conditions consistent with flash flooding could develop, will last through Sunday night. Las Vegas could see thunderstorms, with a high of 90 and a low of 80.

Review-Journal writers Ricardo Torres and Kimberly De La Cruz contributed to this report. Contact Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Find him on Twitter: @RefriedBrean. Contact Cassandra Taloma at ctaloma@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @CassandraTaloma.