UPDATE: The advisory's been lifted.

Salem is in its fifth day of a water advisory that has caused panic among some residents. Here's what you need to know to stay safe.

The vast majority of residents in the Salem area are fine to drink the water. Several local officials have demonstrated drinking the tap water to show it is safe for health teenagers and adults.

The city is testing water every day, said Lacey Goeres-Priest, Salem's water quality supervisor. Officials are monitoring each phase of the water treatment system, she said, including the reservoir, the upstream sources and tap water.

But we get it, you're still concerned. We answered some of your burning questions.

Question: Am I affected?

Answer: You have to meet at least two criteria to need to avoid tap water. First, do you live in Salem or Turner or are customers of the Suburban East Salem Water District and Orchard Heights Water Association?

If so, are you a child under 6; elderly; on dialysis or have compromised immune systems; nursing; pregnant or a pet?

If you answered yes to only one of these questions, you're fine. If you answered no to both, you're fine. If you answered yes to both, avoid the tap water.

Q: What if I already drank some tap water?

A: You're probably fine still. The Oregon Health Authority says that the toxins are at such low levels that it would be uncommon for someone to get sick. Pets are the most at risk, according to the Marion County health department.

Q: How will I know if I'm sick from the cyanotoxins?

A: The cyanotoxins in Salem's water can cause damage to livers and kidneys if they are already weak. That's why there is a special call-out for people on dialysis. Otherwise, you might feel nausea, have diarrhea or vomit.

Q: Why is it OK for adults to drink it but not kids?

A: The amount of cyanotoxins in the water is just high enough to issue a public alert, but not high enough that it will hurt most people.

Children and people whose livers aren't in great condition are more sensitive to small amounts of the toxin. Pets are the most at risk, said Marion County Public Health Officer Marion Landers.

Q: I live in a place that also gets water from the North Santiam River. Am I also affected?

A: No. Stayton, Lyons, Gates, Mill City, and Mehama have tested their own tap water and determined that there are not cyanotoxins at dangerous levels.

Q: Why did the city wait so long to tell residents?

A: Some residents are upset that city officials knew that cyanotoxin levels were high before the alert was issued on Tuesday. Officials learned there was something amiss on Saturday.

They continued to test and adjust how they treated the water in the meantime while sending samples out for testing.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allows water authorities up to 10 days to notify the public. In this case, emergency management and water quality leaders decided to do the notification before that.

Greg Walsh, Salem's emergency manager, said an alert was issued as soon as they had all the relevant information.

Q: What are the schools doing?

A: Lillian Govus, director of communications for the Salem-Keizer School District, said the district has distributed 30,000 bottles of water to preschool through first grade students.

The district also identified medically fragile students in all grades and handed out 700 bottles of water to them. Teen parents and nursing or pregnant staff members also have access to bottled water.

Going forward, the district will rely on bottled water for preschool through first grade students and any other students with compromised immune systems.

The cafeterias also switched to bottled water for cooking or making dishes that don't require water.

Nestle, the food and beverage giant, offered 70,000 bottles of water to the district, Govus said. She said district leaders have reached out to other bottled water companies in the event the advisory lasts the remaining 10 days of school.

Q: Tell me about this algae bloom. Should I be worried about that?

A: This is the first algae bloom in Detroit Lake that has caused a public health issue. Goeres-Priest said that blooms have become more common in the past eight or nine years.

Usually, the blooms' potential to clog pipes is the biggest worry. But, as climate change continues to raise the temperature in bodies of water, the likelihood of more dangerous algae blooms increases.

Q: Is Salem prepared for that?

A: Other than monitoring the source water aggressively, not really. However, Walsh said, the city is considering bringing in reverse osmosis facilities for emergencies.

Peter Fernandez, public works director, assigned the head of Salem's water laboratory to figure out how much it would cost to expand its testing capabilities. Right now, the city contracts with a firm in Ohio and rush orders the samples because no one on the West Coast tests for this kind of algae. It is much more common in the Midwest.

However, if the training and equipment needed to test in-house is less than $10,000, Fernandez said he would authorize the costs. If it's more, that would likely be discussed by the City Council and city manager.

Q: Where can I get clean water?

A: Many stores are having trouble keeping bottled water on the shelves. But most grocery stores have ordered more.

The Oregon National Guard is also distributing water in five gallon chunks to anyone who visits one of their distribution sites. You can find that list here.

Q: I paid exorbitant prices for bottled water. Is that legal?

A: It is not. Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said her office has received several price-gouging complaints in the last two days. Under Oregon law, retailers are barred from raising prices more than 15 percent beyond the sticker cost before the emergency declaration.

She encouraged anyone who thinks they have experienced price gouging to file a complaint on the consumer complaints website or call the state's consumer hotline at 877-877-9392.

Q: What about well water?

A: Well water is safe unless you know about an issue with your own well.

Q: Can I treat my tap water at home?

A: No. Boiling your water will not get rid of the toxins, and could in fact increase the number of them. Once the city lifts its advisory, you could run your tap water for a few minutes to flush out your pipes as an added precaution.

Q: When will this advisory lift?

A: Officials say they need two clean water samples before they can lift the advisory, so the soonest that would happen is Sunday.