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Norwell residents should boil all tap water used for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, food preparation, and washing dishes until further notice from the town, officials wrote.
Main Street in Norwell. Sam Shipman
The town of Norwell is instructing residents and businesses to boil all tap water before using it after E. coli bacteria was detected in the town’s water system, officials announced.
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“This is a precautionary but urgent measure being taken to protect the health and safety of our residents,” Town Administrator Chad Lovett said in a press release Wednesday evening. “We are working closely with all Town Departments and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to identify the source of the contamination and to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.”
A sample taken from the water supply on July 7 for routine testing was found to contain the bacteria, town officials said in the release.
Norwell residents should boil all tap water used for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, food preparation, and washing dishes until further notice from the town, officials wrote. Water should be brought to a roiling boil for at least one minute. Residents should also discard all ice, beverages, uncooked foods, and baby formula made with tap water collected on or after July 7.
The contamination will likely be resolved within 48 hours, Norwell officials said Wednesday evening.
In the meantime, the Norwell Water Department will flush the town’s water mains and increase chlorination in the water supply. Plans are in the works to distribute bottled water for residents, officials said.
Drinking water contaminated with E. coli can cause symptoms like diarrhea, cramps, nausea, jaundice, headaches, and fatigue. Infants, the elderly, and the immunocompromised are most at risk of developing E. coli symptoms, the town said. While most people infected with E. coli recover within 10 days, a small percentile develop life-threatening complications, according to the World Health Organization.
The town is investigating the cause of the contamination, officials said in the release. Increased runoff into a water source caused by heavy rain, a malfunction of a water system’s pipes, or a problem with a water treatment process can all potentially lead to contamination, officials said.
Norwell residents can contact Howard Tufts of the Norwell Water Department at 781-659-8076 or [email protected] for more information.
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