Boil Water Advisory Canceled for North Stonington

Residents in part of North Stonington were stocking up on bottled water after being urged to boil their tap water, but the boil water advisory is now over.

The notice went into effect after tests revealed E.coli in one location and total coliforms in three others, according to the Southeastern Connecticut Water Authority.

Josh Cansler, the general manager of the water authority, said the findings came during routine testing last week.

“Most likely it was the heavy rains last week brought in some type of bacteria into the system, which is common during especially heavy rains,” he said.

A boil water order was immediately put into effect and customers were notified, according to Cansler.

“I ended up getting a text from my mother telling me to pick up some water on the way home because our water may be contaminated,” Crystal Picard, of North Stonington, said.

Cansler said the Department of Health was notified, work began to flush the system and there was no evidence of E.coli during a second round of tests.

The boil water order was issued out of an abundance of caution, but residents could bathe without risk of health, according to the Southeastern Connecticut Water Authority.

“Some people might be affected by the coliform and get a mild sickness. It’s very rare to get a serious sickness from coliform,” Cansler said.

The areas affected included Kingswood Drive, Laurel Wood Road, Hewitt Road and a portion of Main Street.

Staff at Buon Appetito used bottled water to replace tap and said they were thankful that this did not happen during a busy weekend.

“We just had to go out and get ice for all of our beverages -- all the sodas, lemonades, juices we carry,” Lauren Whitmore, a Buon Appetito employee, said. “We have bottled water available as well as we’re doing jugs for just house water for everyone.”

Total coliforms are a group of related bacteria that are -- with few exceptions --not harmful to humans, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA says a variety of bacteria, parasites, and viruses, known as pathogens, can potentially cause health problems if humans ingest them. EPA considers total coliforms a useful indicator of other pathogens for drinking water. Total coliforms are used to determine the adequacy of water treatment and the integrity of the distribution system.

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