By Kirk Enstrom WMUR
E. coli found in water supply of Aquarion
HAMPTON, N.H. —
Thousands of people in parts of Hampton, North Hampton and Rye are being told to boil their water after E. coli was found in a water supply.
Officials said the dangerous bacteria was found in the Aquarion water supply during testing. There are 15,000 water connections that are affected, and state officials estimated 15,000 to 25,000 people could be affected in the area.
The warning area includes Hampton Beach, officials said.
Aquarion officials have not yet returned calls from News 9.
Symptoms of E. coli infection include mild to severe diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea and vomiting.
Contaminated water should be brought to a rolling boil for one minute to kill the bacteria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It should then be allowed to cool, stored in a clean container with a tight cover and refrigerated.
NHDES-W-03-030 dwgbinfo@des.nh.gov or phone (603) 271-2513 or fax (603)271-3490 PO Box 95, Concord, NH 03302-0095 www.des.nh.gov 2015-08-18 Page 1 of 1
BOIL ORDER NOTICE (PDF)
This water system may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria BOIL YOUR WATER BEFORE USING Public Water System Name: Aquarion Water Company – Hampton, North Hampton and Rye System PWS ID: ___NH 1051010 Date Sampled: 8/21/19 Location in distribution system/source(s) ____Hampton Fire Station served by various wells__ These bacteria can make you sick, and are a particular concern for people with weakened immune systems.
What does this mean? E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Human pathogens in these wastes can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a greater health risk for infants, young children, 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 about drinking the water from their health care providers.
What happened? E.coli bacteria were detected in one of ten samples collected in the Hampton system on Wednesday 8/21. We are currently investigating to determine the probable cause of this occurrence, including a review of operations and collection of repeat bacteria samples. All water in the Hampton system is disinfected prior to distribution to customers. At this time there is no indication of any irregularity in treatment and there were no main breaks in the vicinity.
What should I do? DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for 2 minutes, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Pre-boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, brushing teeth, washing vegetables, food preparation, washing dishes, making infant formula, and making ice until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Fact sheet WD-DWGB 4-12, provides guidance to consumers under a boil order and is available online.
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. You will be notified when the water quality problem is corrected. We expect to resolve the issue and lift the boil water notice as soon as possible. Please check the website below for updates. Until that time, the water should be boiled as described above. For more information please visit our website at www.aquarionwater.com or contact us at 1-800-732-9678.
Aquarion will issue a credit of $20 on each customer account to cover the cost of bottled water.
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.
NH Politician contributed to this report.
