Contamination Closes Clarksburg Spring; Boil Order Issued
 A man reads the bacteria warning at Red Mills spring on Saturday. The spring is closed and water district customers on a boil order until further notice. |
The Briggsville Water District supplies about 180 customers in the River Road area and has an open pipe for people to access spring water.
Selectman Chairman Carl McKinney said the boil order was issued on Friday and that Clebe Scott, the spring's operator, went door to door to deliver the notice and instructions.
The concern, said McKinney, is that people used to filling up jugs from the popular spring would ignore the posted warnings.
The gravity-fed pipe at the River Road spring has been shut off and an orange tape tied around it. The information on the tests has been posted at the guardrail below the pipe.
According to the notice, total coliform bacteria and E. coli were found in the drinking water tested at Town Hall, which is on the system, on June 20. Tests at two other sites on June 24 and June 25 turned up total coliform but no E. coli.
"Due to the presence of E. coli bacteria and the ongoing presence of total coliform bacteria in the distribution system, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has issued a Boil Water Order," the notice states.
Those on the public water system have been advised to bring any water from the system to roiling boil for at least one minute. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, food preparation, brushing teeth and washing dishes.
Any water collected or any food, beverages or ice containing water collected after Wednesday, June 19, should be discarded.
E. coli can cause stomach cramps, diarrhea and nausea. It can be a serious health risk for infants, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.
The cause of the contamination has not been determined but E. coli bacteria can be found in human and animal waste. The heavy rains over the past six weeks may have increased run off or the problem may be a broken pipe.
The water district is in communication with the DEP and will be disinfecting the system with chlorine. Officials said they anticipate "resolving the problem as soon as possible."
For more information, contact Thomas Lussier, secondary certified water operator for the district, at 413-663-9591 or tom@housatonicbasin.com.
Tags: boil order, contamination, spring water,
