Tags: Adams, Fire District, Water, Boil, e coli

Adams Fire District Boil Order Notice

BOIL WATER OR USE BOTTLED WATER

To All Users of Adams Fire District's Drinking Water

Located in Adams, Massachusetts This is an important notice.

The water system monitors for the presence of drinking water contaminants to ensure the safety of the water supply.
On Tuesday, August 21, 2018, we were notified that a routine water sample collected from our water storage tank on Monday, August 20, 2018 tested positive for E. coli, which is a fecal indicator. Total coliform bacteria were also detected in two repeat water samples collected from residences located adjacent to the water storage tank on Tuesday, August 21, 2018. No total coliform or E. coli were detected in the other two repeat water samples from the tank and another residence adjacent to the tank. No enterococci, another fecal indicator, were detected in the water sample that was also collected from our well on August 21, 2018.

What Should I Do?

  • DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST OR USE BOTTLED WATER
    Bring all water to a rolling boil and let it boil for at least one (1) minute or use bottled water. You may cool the boiled water before using. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, food preparation, brushing teeth and washing dishes until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
  • This information is also located on the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) website: Consumer Information on Boil Orders; Boil Order Frequently Asked Questions
  • Discard all ice, beverages, uncooked foods, and formula made with tap water collected on or after Monday, August 20, 2018.
  • Food establishments must follow Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MA DPH) procedures and the direction of their local board of health, which may be more stringent than the DPH guide. MA DPH - Guidance for Emergency Action Planning for Retail Food Establishments (pg. 19)
  • Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly.

What Does this Mean?
E. coli is a fecal indicator and it was detected in the distribution system at the storage tank. “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.” Because these symptoms are not only caused by organisms in drinking water, if you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, or, if you have specific health concerns, consult 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.

What is Being Done?
We will begin adding chlorine, for disinfection, to our well and monitoring the chlorine residual several times a day. We will be conducting a detailed evaluation of our water system. We are in contact with MassDEP who is evaluating the actions we are taking to ensure safe water is being delivered to you. We will work with MassDEP and our Certified Water Operator until this problem is resolved and will take additional corrective actions, as needed. We anticipate resolving the problem as soon as possible and will inform you when you no longer need to boil your water or use alternate sources of water (bottled water).

For more information:
Contact: John Barrett, Superintendent of the Adams Fire District at (413) 743-0978 Ext. 13 or at jbarrett.afd@albany.twbc.com
PWS Name: Adams Fire District District PWS ID: 1004000 Date Distributed: August 22-23, 2018