Drinking water warning issued

by Carla St. Louisoriginally posted on July 22, 2016

LAKE WORTH, Fla. — A drinking water warning was issued Friday for Lake Worth after a sample from water well 01 tested positive for E. coli bacteria, officials said.

The announcement was made by Brian Shields, water utility director of the Water Utilities Department, in a news release.

According to Shields, one of the 13 raw water wells was sampled on July 21 and tested positive for E. coli bacteria, a type of fecal coliform, the following day.

Raw water well 01 was taken out of rotation July 22 and is not being utilized, the Water Utilities Department of Lake Worth said.

Although officials said the water is safe to drink since the contaminated well has been closed, they are notifying residents of the dangers of E. coli bacteria.

The E. coli bacteria was found only in water well 01 and all other wells were absent of it.

Recheck samples are being collected at the sample point for the well and water treatment plant to validate no contamination of the drinking water supply, Shields said.

Fecal coliform and E. coli are bacterium whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes.

The dangers of E. coli and coliform bacterium

The microbes in fecal waster can make you sick causing diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches or other symptoms.

The microbes are particularly disastrous for people with weakened immune systems, such as infants and young children.

Bacterial contamination can occur when increased water run-off, such as heavy rain, enters the drinking water source. A bacterial contamination can also happen because of a break in the distribution pipes or a failure in the water treatment process.

For more information on how to lessen the risk of infection by microbes or bacterium, call 1-800-426-4791.

Stay tuned for more information as the story develops.