Amid Waterline Repairs, Tennessee Residents Told To Boil Their Water
By Peak Johnson
Last month, residents of Erin, TN, received news that water service would slowly be returning to their homes after repairs had been made on three waterline breaks.
However, according to The Leaf-Chronicle, officials said that even though the problem is nearly fixed that customers should boil their water before drinking it to remove any harmful contaminants.
“We are asking people to boil their water for at least three minutes until further notice,” said City Recorder Angie Neilson. “Usually, the standard (period) is 48 hours, but we are just saying until further notice because if one of the tests come back bad, we might have to extended it (beyond 48 hours).”
Neilson added that bottled water is being delivered to those who may be in need of it by law enforcement officers, volunteers, and jail trustees.
Erin has also purchased “more than 150 cases of bottled water for customers affected by the water outage.”
The cause of Erin’s drinking water problem began when strong and continuous rain broke an embankment along one of the city’s highways. A break was detected and repaired, however more were then discovered and had to be repaired as well.
After flushing the lines for about 45 minutes, the water treatment plant was then put back online.
Similarly, a water boil advisory was issued recently by the County of San Diego’s Department of Environmental Health for a local water system that tested positive for E. coli.
According to a county news release, obtained by the Times of San Diego, “The drinking water system has tested present for E.coli and total coliform bacteria. The presence of E.coli bacteria indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests “that water be brought to a rolling boil for one minute before it is consumed in order to kill protozoa, bacteria and viruses.”
For similar stories visit Water Online’s Drinking Water Contaminant Removal Solutions Center.