IMPORTANT DRINKING WATER NOTICE – E. Coli Detected

E. Coli Alert in Foxboro, MAThe following is the official alert from the Foxborough Water Department:

Our water system routinely monitors for the presence of drinking water contaminants to ensure the safety of the water supply.  On March 16, 2011, our water system was notified that a water sample collected on March 15, 2011 from Well # 6 tested positive for E.coli or enterococci, which is a fecal indicator.  Well #6 is one of 13 wells that supplies drinking water to our system.  When we learned about the E. coli, enterococci positive sample, the well was turned off on March 17, 2011 after sampling.

During normal operations, water from Well #6 is pumped from the ground and it is disinfected with chlorine to kill fecal indicators, including E.coli, enterococci.  The chlorinated water is delivered to you.  Chlorinated water samples from the water distribution system were also collected on March 15, 2011.  None of the chlorinated samples tested positive for E.coli, enterococci.  Only the untreated sample from Pumping Station #2 well tested positive.

A new regulation, the Ground Water Rule, requires us to notify you while we collect more samples, wait for the results, and inspect our water system to determine if a risk to fecal contamination exists.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?    WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

  • You do not need to boil your water but you should discard all ice, food products and formula made with tap water collected on or before March 15, 2011.

  • E. coli, enterococci is a fecal indicator and it was detected in the well water for your system. Even though the well with the fecal indicator is no longer in use the USEPA requires us to provide you with this Notice and the following information on fecal indicators. “Fecal indicators are microbes whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes.  Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms.  They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.” These symptoms can also be caused by issues unrelated to drinking water.  If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, or, if you have specific health concerns, you may want to discuss such concerns with your doctor. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791

  • Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses).  You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

WHAT IS BEING DONE?

While we continue to evaluate the situation and wait for the results of sampling, to determine if a risk of contamination exists we are doing the following:

Repeat sampling of the source Well No. 6 have been taken.  A total of (5) five repeats were taken with a delay time of 30 minutes between sampling until which time that the quantity has been met.  Additional sample will be taken from Well No. 4 and Well No. 5 as well.  Once samples have been completed, the well shed area will be shut down on 3/17/2011 and taken out of service and will not be put back into service until a complete evaluation/inspection has been done.  This information will also be available through the Town of Foxboro Website and Foxboro Cable Access – Comcast Channel 22 & Verizon 38 – Water Department section.

We are in contact with MassDEP who is evaluating the actions we are taking to ensure safe water is being delivered to you.  If a risk of contamination exists, you will receive additional notification.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact Leo R. Potter at 508-543-1209. Website address: lpotter@mail.town.foxborough.ma.us

 


 

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