A town in Vermont has issued a boil water notice after tests showed contamination in the water system.
Residents of the town of Fair Haven in Vermont were advised to boil tap water before using it after the town's water supply was found positive for the fecal coliform bacteria E.coli on Monday, Aug. 18. E.coli is known to make people sick particularly those with weak immune systems.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Fair Haven Town Manager Herb Durfee informed the residents that due to the contamination of the water supply, residents should adopt measures to avoid getting sick. The residents were instructed to boil water for at least one minute before using it for drinking, brushing the teeth, making ice, preparing foods and washing dishes, or they can opt to use bottled water.
Consuming contaminated water could cause cramps, diarrhea, nausea and headache and these unwanted health consequences could be more severe in infants, young children and those with compromised immune system. Boiling should kill the bacteria and other organisms that are present in the water.
"Do not drink water without boiling it first," the statement read [pdf], adding that people who experience symptoms that persist should consider seeking medical advice. "People at increased risk should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers."
The presence of the bacteria indicates that human and animal wastes may be present in the water. Officials, however, did not reveal how the contamination occurred albeit the advisory mentioned that bacterial contamination may occur when increased run-off enters the source of the drinking water which could happen after heavy rains. Contamination may also occur because of broken pipes in the water distribution system and due to shortcoming in the water treatment process.
The contamination is believed to be isolated to only one area of the water system but additional sampling of the water is being conducted to validate this. The warning about the contaminated water supply also mentioned that the town may take corrective actions such as chlorinating and flushing the water system to remedy the problem when deemed necessary.
Residents were also advised to keep boiling water or use bottled water until they are notified that the water is already safe for use; this won't apparently take long as officials said that they anticipate that the problem will be resolved within 24 -48 hours.
