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BOIL WATER ADVISORY ISSUED FOR THE CITY OF GALENA

For Immediate Release
June 30, 2023
For more information, contact:
Matthew Lara
matthew.lara@ks.gov


Boil Water Advisory Issued for the City of Galena, Cherokee County


TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has issued a boil water advisory for
the City of Galena public water supply system located in Cherokee County.


Customers should observe the following precautions until further notice:

  • Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation or use bottled water.
  • Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker.
  • If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.
  • Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap
    water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.
  • Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary
    while bathing so that water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult
    their physicians.

  • The advisory took effect on June 30, 2023 and will remain in effect until the conditions that placed the
    system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved. KDHE officials issued the advisory because of of a
    line break resulting in a loss of pressure in the system. Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in
    a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.
    Regardless of whether the public water supplier or Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE)
    announced a boil water advisory, only KDHE can issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.
    For consumer questions, please contact the water system at 620-783-5265, or KDHE at 785-296-5514. For
    consumer information please visit KDHE’s PWS Consumer Information webpage:
    kdhe.ks.gov/waterdisruption

  • Restaurants and other food establishments that have questions about the impact of the boil water advisory
    on their business can contact the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s food safety & lodging program at
    kda.fsl@ks.gov or call 785-564-6767.

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Galena City Ordinance on Fireworks

As the 4th of July approaches people are starting to ask about the city ordnance on fire works with in the City Limits.

Fireworks may be discharged between the hours of 9:00 am through 10:30 pm on July 1st, 2nd , and 3rd. On July 4th they can be discharged between the hours of 9:00 am and ending at midnight.

BOTTLE ROCKETS PROHIBITED. Bottle rockets and other similar self-propelled firework or fireworks devices consisting of a tube and attached guiding stock or rod shall not be sold or discharged in the city.

DISCHARGE ON STREETS AND PUBLIC PROPERTY PROHIBITED. It shall be unlawful for any person to discharge, ignite or fire any fireworks upon any public street, alley or avenue or in any park or public place within the city.

THROWING PROHIBITED. It shall be unlawful for any person to throw, cast or propel fireworks of any kind in the direction of or into the path of any animal, person or group of persons, or from, in the direction of or into any vehicle of any kind.

Suspect In Custody Following Tuesday Night Shooting Death of Riverton Man

Just before 9:00pm on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, emergency personnel were dispatched to a shooting in the 800 block of Columbus Street in Galena.


Cherokee County Emergency Medical Personnel attempted to revive the victim but were unsuccessful.


Levi Porter, age 27, of Riverton, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Cherokee County Deputy Coroner.


Billy Barker, 49, of Galena, was arrested at the scene and transported to the Cherokee County Jail on allegations of 2nd Degree Murder.

Formal charges have not yet been filed.


The investigation is ongoing and being conducted by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and Galena Police Department.

Billy Barker

EPA PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 is seeking public input to update the EPA cleanup level for lead contamination in soils at residential properties across the Cherokee County National Priorities List (NPL) Superfund Site. EPA is proposing to lower the residential cleanup level at affected residential properties to align sitewide cleanup levels with a more stringent threshold of 400 parts per million (ppm) for lead in soil. This is down from the prior 800 ppm action level (and 500 ppm cleanup level) used during past EPA residential yard cleanups in Cherokee County. For more information, please see the attached EPA Public Notice and Fact Sheet (with links to the online versions, below).

  • Public comments on the Proposed Explanation of Significant Differences will be accepted for 30 days from Jan. 28 through Feb. 28, 2023. On Jan. 28, the ESD and supporting documents will be published online for public review at the weblink included below. Site information is available to the public at web repositories; please visit EPA’s Site Profile page (click on Site Documents & Data, then on Administrative Records): www.epa.gov/superfund/cherokeecounty (Click Here to view the ESD and the Administrative Record File.)
  • Send written comments to: Elizabeth Kramer, Community Involvement Coordinator, Office of Public Affairs (ORA/OPA), EPA Region 7, 11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66219; or by email at r7-tsmd@epa.gov. EPA also established a voicemail box for accepting oral comments at 913-551-8755. Direct questions about the Proposed ESD and requests for site information to: Elizabeth Kramer, phone: 913-551-7186; or Todd Campbell, Remedial Project Manager, phone: 913-551-7115; they can also be reached toll-free at 1-800-223-0425 or by email at r7-tsmd@epa.gov.

LINKS: For More Information, see EPA’s Fact Sheet and Public Notice online, at:

  1. Public Notice: https://www.epa.gov/ks/cherokee-county-national-priorities-list-npl-superfund-site-cherokee-county-kansas
  2. Fact Sheet: https://www.epa.gov/ks/cherokee-county-national-priorities-list-npl-superfund-site-cherokee-county-kansas-fact-sheet-1
2023-01-EPA-Fact-Sheet-Cherokee-County-Proposed-ESD-Final-1-PageDownload
2023-01-28-EPA-ESD-Cherokee-County-SUPR-Public-Comment-Period-Public-Notice-FINAL-1-page-PDFDownload

You Drink. You Drive. You Lose- is Just Ahead

Drivers are advised that during the period of August 20 through Labor Day, September 7, The Galena Police Department will join other police agencies across Kansas in a crackdown aimed at removing impaired drivers from the roadways during You Drink. You Drive. You Lose.

It is illegal to drive while impaired, yet one person is killed in a drunk driving crash every 52 minutes in the United States. Just one drink before driving can put you and others in danger, because alcohol impairs thinking, reasoning and muscle coordination.

Driving after consuming alcohol or any other potentially impairing substance is a choice you make. According to Chief Charles, The You Drink. You Drive. You Lose enforcement campaign is intended to remind drivers to take a moment to consider how it would be to begin every day with the memory of your decision if it resulted in injury or death. If you are driving impaired, you are not only more likely to crash, but that crash is much more likely to cause serious injury or death. Think about your family, your friends, your coworkers, and neighbors.  Also always wear your seat belt, it’s your best defense against impaired drivers. Every trip, every time.

You can count on this agency to vigorously enforce impaired driving and other traffic laws, not just during this enforcement campaign but all through the year in order to save lives.

Independence Day (4th of July)

As the 4th of July approaches people are starting to ask about the city ordnance on fire works with in the City Limits.

Fireworks may be discharged between the hours of 9:00 am through 10:30 pm on July 1st, 2nd , and 3rd. On July 4th they can be discharged between the hours of 9:00 am and ending at midnight.

BOTTLE ROCKETS PROHIBITED. Bottle rockets and other similar self-propelled firework or fireworks devices consisting of a tube and attached guiding stock or rod shall not be sold or discharged in the city.

DISCHARGE ON STREETS AND PUBLIC PROPERTY PROHIBITED. It shall be unlawful for any person to discharge, ignite or fire any fireworks upon any public street, alley or avenue or in any park or public place within the city.

THROWING PROHIBITED. It shall be unlawful for any person to throw, cast or propel fireworks of any kind in the direction of or into the path of any animal, person or group of persons, or from, in the direction of or into any vehicle of any kind.

Toys for Kids

On November 26, 2021, members of the Galena Police Department, Galena Fire Department and the City Clerks office participated in a Boot Block at 7th and Main Street in Galena to raise money for the annual Toys for Kids program. During the Boot Block we were able to collect over $2900.00 for this program.

Members of the City Clerks office, the City Court, and the Public Works Department used this money to buy toys for the Toys for Kids Program.  

On December 14, 2021, Santa visited the Spring Grove School to pass out toys for each child enrolled.

We would like to thank the community their support and donating to help make this another successful year for the program.