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Politics & Government

Water Tower Taken Offline After Bacteria Found in Drinking Water

Routine testing in July showed bacteria in more than one sample from the State Hospital water tower. Additional bacteria were not found. This is not an emergency and residents do not need to boil drinking water.

During routine water sampling in July 2012, more than one sample was found to have colirom bacteria.  The presence of more than five percent of the samples collected had this bacteria which is more than Medfield’s acceptable standards, said a notice to residents issued on July 26.

“Total coliform bacteria are generally not harmful themselves,” said the notice issued by the Medfield Department of Public Works, which routinely monitors for drinking water contaminants.

“Coliforms are bacteria which are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other potentially-harmful bacteria may be present.”

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The full notice can be found here.     

What is being done?

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The State Hospital Water Storage Tower has been taken off line.  The town will be draining, cleaning and disinfecting this tower. Upstream and downstream water sampling has not detected any of these bacteria, which means no bacteria entered the distribution system.

What should I do?

You do not need to boil your water or take other corrective actions. However, if you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor.

People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at risk. These people should seek advice from their health care providers about drinking water.

Share this information with all 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).  

What does this mean?

Town officials say this is not an emergency. Coliforms were found in more samples than allowed and this was a warning of potential problems.  The DPW is in contact with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) which is evaluating the effectiveness of the steps being taken to see if further action is needed.

Whenever coliform bacteria are detected in any sample, the town does follow-up testing to see if other bacteria of greater concern are present.  No additional bacteria were present in subsequent testing.

For more information, contact DPW Superintendent Ken Feeney at 508-906-3002 or kfeeney@medfield.net

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