- This is important information for residents, businesses, and others who have received a notice to boil their tap water.
- You only need to boil water for consumption (drink or use in food prep), and a simple boil in a kettle or pot is enough. Once boiled, the water is safe to drink.
- If you live near the boundary of the affected area and aren’t sure if you’re included, it's safer to boil your drinking water just in case.
- This page will be updated regularly. Please do not call emergency numbers or service hotlines for questions about boiling water.
Notice to boil your water: What you need to know
In short:
Information in other languages
What does this notice mean?
Who should boil their water?
Residents in the following areas should boil their tap water: Madla, Stokka, Tasta, Vardeneset, Kvernevik, Sunde, and Byhaugen. See the map below for more details.
If you're unsure whether your home is inside the affected area, it’s safest to boil your water anyway.
Approximately 55,000 residents have received an SMS alert instructing them to boil their water. Boiled water is safe to drink, but you might want to let it cool first.
Businesses in the affected areas, even those that didn’t receive an SMS, should also boil any tap water that’ll be consumed.
How long will I need to keep boiling the water?
It takes time before we can declare water safe after a potential contamination. We need to take samples and wait for the results.
We need two negative test results before we can declare the water safe. The first test came back negative, meaning there were no traces of E. coli bacteria in the water. However, we cannot lift the boil advisory until we get the results from the second test.
The boil advisory will remain in effect until we are certain the water is safe.
We expect to have the results from the second test by Thursday, October 17th. At that time, Stavanger Municipality, together with the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the Chief Medical Officer of Stavanger, will reassess the situation.
We will send a new SMS alert to affected households once the water is confirmed safe. Until then, the boil advisory remains in effect.
Drank unboiled water and worried?
Listen to your body! If you get sick, contact a doctor. If you feel fine, there's no need to worry.
What should I do if my tap water is yellow or brown?
Water service has been restored, but some households may experience lower pressure or discolored water. If your water is brown or yellow, follow these steps:
Run cold water from the lowest tap in your house until it clears.
Where can I find more information?
Check this website for updates as we get more information.
Please avoid calling emergency numbers or hotlines with questions about the boil notice. These lines are reserved for urgent situations.
Why is there a boil water notice?
A major water main serving large parts of Stavanger, Randaberg, and Kvitsøy burst on Monday evening, October 14. The drop in water pressure may allow contaminated water to enter the system, which is why tap water must be boiled in affected areas.