DRINKING WATER NOTICE To all users of the Wareham Fire District Water System located in Wareham, Massachusetts This is an important notice - please translate it for anyone who does not understand English.
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THIS IS NOT AN EMERGENCY. Wareham Water routinely monitors for the presence of drinking water contaminants to ensure the safety of the water supply. On August 3, 2010 we were notified that a fecal indicator (E. coli) was detected in a raw water (untreated) sample collected on August 2, 2010 from Well #4 THE WELL WAS REMOVED FROM SERVICE IMMEDIATELY AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE.
During normal operations, water from Well #4 is pumped from the ground and it is disinfected with chlorine to kill fecal indicators, including E. coli. The chlorinated water is delivered to you. Chlorinated water samples from the water distribution system were also collected on August 2, 2010 None of the chlorinated samples tested positive for E. coli. Only the untreated sample from Well #4 tested positive.
This is not an emergency, you DO NOT need to boil your water or take other corrective actions.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? |
This is not an emergency, you do not need to boil your water or take other corrective actions.
E. coli is a fecal indicator and it was detected in the raw water at the (Name of source) before treatment. Even though the well with the fecal indicator is treated and the treated water did not contain any fecal indicators, the well is no longer in use at this time. The USEPA requires us to provide you with this Notice and the following information on fecal indicators. “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.” The microbes that can produce these symptoms were not detected in the water after it
was treated. Therefore these health risks are not present. These symptoms are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. 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.
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.
We continue to evaluate the situation including the following actions:
- Investigate the source of the raw water contamination and remove it.
- Well #4 was removed from service and will not return unless and until approved by the MassDEP.
We are in contact with MassDEP who is evaluating the actions we are taking to ensure safe water is being delivered to you. If a risk of contamination exists, you will receive additional notification.
This is NOT an emergency and you do not need to boil your water or take corrective action.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact: Michael Martin (508) 295-0450
PWSID#: 4310000 Date Distributed: August 3, 2010
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