After Positive Test For E. Coli, Residents Urged To Boil Water

A release from the Town of Stoneham and the Stoneham Water Department:

The Stoneham Water Department recently detected E. coli in drinking water at 15 Whipple Avenue. As our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we are doing to correct this situation. On September 12, 2018, Stoneham collected routine samples at locations throughout Stoneham. One sample from 15 Whipple Avenue tested positive for E. coli.

WHAT SHOULD I DO? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

• DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
• E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term health effects, such as 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.
• The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice from their health care providers about drinking this water.

WHAT IS BEING DONE?

DEP was notified of the positive results, and the Town is investigating what caused the E. coli positive samples. Repeat confirmatory samples were immediately collected, and one repeat sample collected on September 13, 2018 was Total Coliform Positive. Further samples have been collected, and we will inform you when you no longer need to boil your water.

For more information, please contact the Stoneham Department of Public Works at 781-438-0760 (www.stoneham-ma.gov/water-sewer-department) or write to Stoneham Water Department at 16 Pine St, Stoneham, MA, 02180. 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 or by visiting the DEP website.

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.

This notice is being sent to you by Stoneham Water Department.