Ravenna works to better notify residents of boil, other alerts

Extremely cold weather and sustained sub-zero temperatures were the likely cause of a water main break on King Street in Ravenna on Feb. 4. A boil alert was issued and notification placards were delivered to homes in the affected area, but some residents said on social media that they didn’t get the alert in time. 

As per EPA regulations, the city is required to issue a Tier 1 public notification within 24 hours of discovering an issue that poses a risk to public health. City of Ravenna Service Director Tim Contant said the city follows all EPA regulations. It even goes beyond those regulations by offering the downloadable CivicReady app to send alerts straight to residents’ phones, but he said it’s difficult to get everyone to sign up for it.