The City of Kent issued a Boil Alert for specific areas of Kent Monday afternoon, effective immediately to all residents on Lake Street, Miller Avenue, Harvey Street, Woodside Drive and Steele Street. Residents of this area were instructed to boil water “vigorously” for a full minute before using it.

Gary Labajetta, utilities manager at the Public Service Department, said while tying in a new water line to the existing one, a valve broke and needed replacement. To replace the valve, they had to shut down the water line and empty the water for the affected area.

When the water service was restored, the City of Kent released the Boil Alert as a “precautionary measure” for the safety of residents.

At this time, the Boil Alert is still in effect for the affected areas in Kent.

Labajetta said water samples must sit for 24 hours, but the samples “looked good” when he spoke to the water lab. An unofficial estimate of when the Boil Alert would end is around 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

Residents should watch the City of Kent’s website to check for an official notice of the water tests being completed. For any further information, residents can contact the Public Service Department at 330-678-8105.

Chloe Zofchak covers the City of Kent. Contact her at [email protected].