Boil alert lifted Monday evening

MARION - Shortly before 6 p.m. Monday, AquaOhio lifted the boil alert that had been in effect for about 22 hours.

The company had advised residents of Marion and the villages of Caledonia, Martel and Prospect to fully boil water for three minutes before use in drinking, cooking, preparing ice, washing dishes or oral hygiene, according to a news release.

Spokesman Jeff La Rue said the alert was expected to have affected around 17,000 customers.

The alert was the result of a filter malfunction at the Marion water treatment plant, leading to high levels of cloudiness in the water leaving the plant. While it did not have health effects itself, it could have led to microbial growth and disease-causing organisms that could result in "nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches."

Aqua Ohio alerted customers about the issue through phone call alerts and the media, La Rue said, and used those to lift the alert as well once test results showed no bacteria was present.

To receive alerts from Aqua Ohio, customers can sign up at AquaAmerica.com or by calling its customer service line at 877-987-2782, according to the release.

Local businesses dealt with the issue Sunday night and Monday morning. Wyandot Inc. reported its third-shift operation would not work Sunday but that second-shift workers should report Monday as scheduled.

shickey@marionstar.com

740-244-9940

Twitter: @SpenserHickey