City of Savannah issues partial lift of boil water advisory, Effingham Co. EMA gives update

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - [UPDATE as of 08/16/25 6:52 p.m.] Effingham County Emergency Management Agency gave a boil water advisory update Saturday night.

According to Effingham County EMA, “the advisory has been extended from 8/15/25.”

See below for detailed list of areas affected:

Looking for the latest from the Georgia Department of Public Health, Coastal Health District? Click here.

[UPDATE as of 08/16/25 5:07 p.m.] Saturday evening the City of Savannah shared an update regarding boil water advisories in the city.

The city issued a partial lift of the boil water advisory for areas of the City of Savannah and Chatham County that are east and south of Garden City.

According to the city, areas where the water boil advisory has been lifted are reflected in green on the above map and include downtown Savannah, westside Savannah neighborhoods, eastside Savannah neighborhoods, midtown Savannah neighborhoods, southside Savannah neighborhoods, Hutchinson Island, Thunderbolt, Vernonburg, and the Savannah Industrial River Corridor.

The city said this water is safe to consume after tests for these areas of the system showed no presence of coliform bacteria.

The boil water advisory remains in effect for The Highlands and the Savannah Hilton Head International Airport area of the City of Savannah, Pooler, Port Wentworth, areas of Bloomingdale, portions of unincorporated Chatham County, areas of Effingham County, and Prosperity Drive in Garden City.

The map above shows areas lifted from the boil water advisory in green and areas that remain under a boil water advisory in yellow.

City officials announced the partial lift came after testing on Saturday confirmed no presence of coliform bacteria for areas in green.

Officials said test results for the areas still under the advisory are pending due to the time water takes to travel through the system to these areas.

Test data for the areas still under the boil advisory will be available Sunday morning, per the City of Savannah.

The city advises customers in affected areas to continue to boil water intended for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, and preparing baby formula until the advisory is lifted.

UPDATE: The city of Savannah says a boil water advisory remains in effect for specific City of Savannah Water Customers after an issue at the City’s I&D Water Treatment Plant that caused turbidity levels in the finished water to exceed regulatory limits.

The elevated turbidity levels were corrected Friday evening around 5 p.m. City crews tested water samples throughout Friday evening and coordinated with Georgia Environmental Protection Division staff on the data.

According to the city staff reports on Saturday morning, chlorine levels remain stable, and the I&D plant is operating within normal parameters. An additional round of sample testing started early Saturday morning. City staff are waiting for the results of water samples taken Friday evening to confirm bacteria levels meet regulatory limits in the water distribution system. Testing for the presence of bacteria requires 24 hours to complete.

ORIGINAL STORY: The City of Savannah has issued a precautionary boil water notice for its entire water system, which serves residents in both Chatham County and Effingham County. The advisory will remain in effect for the next 24 hours.

According to city officials, the notice was prompted by a turbidity issue. This refers to the cloudiness or haziness caused by suspended particles that scatter or absorb light.

“The notice will be lifted as soon as results confirm the water is safe to drink,” the city stated in a public advisory.

In the meantime, residents are urged to:

• Boil all water for at least one minute before using it for drinking, cooking, or preparing food.
• Use boiled or bottled water for brushing teeth, making baby formula, and washing fruits and vegetables.

City officials emphasized that these measures are purely precautionary and that updates will be shared as soon as more information is available.