June 14, 2011 – The Kennebec Water District’s latest newsletter is now available on the website. This edition of the newsletter focuses on the new meters and meter program that has been implemented in recent months. Please click the link above for to view or download.
TESTS SHOW PRESENCE OF COLIFORM BACTERIA IN OUR WATER
Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard. KENNEBEC WATER DISTRICT (KWD) routinely tests for the presence of drinking water contaminants. Water samples collected during 8/1/2010 to 8/31/2010 showed the presence of coliform bacteria. As our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we have done to correct the situation.
What Does This Mean:
This is not an emergency. If it had been, you would have been notified immediately. Total coliform bacteria are generally not harmful themselves.
Coliforms are bacteria that are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other potentially harmful bacteria may be present. Coliforms were found in more samples than allowed and this was a warning of potential problems.
Usually, coliforms are a sign that there could be a problem with the system’s water treatment or distribution system (piping). When coliform bacteria are detected in a sample, follow-up testing is done automatically to see if E. coli or fecal coliforms are present. This testing was done and NO E. coli bacteria were found.
What Should You Do:
You may drink the water. You do not need to boil the water. However, if you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor. People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at increased risk. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1 (800) 426-4791.
What is Being Done:
The problem has been corrected. It was caused by two related events. KWD was working on a project to relocate a water main in Fairfield Center in conjunction with the installation of a new culvert structure by the Town of Fairfield. During the project period, a main break occurred in the same area. The combination of increased water flow and closed valves negatively impacted the quality of the water for a period of time. The problem was limited to the Fairfield Center area, which is a hydraulically isolated part of the KWD system. The majority of the KWD system was not impacted.
Standard operating procedures call for us to sample water in the proximity of any leak site following the repair of the leak. In this case, our sampling showed positive coliform presence. We immediately began an extensive flushing program in the area to expel contaminated water and introduce “fresh” water with a higher chlorine disinfectant level. We also took several additional recheck samples in the area to determine the full extent of the problem. Follow up samples demonstrated that all problems had been corrected and water quality was back to normal. To reiterate: No E. coli or fecal bacteria was detected in any tests, only coliform bacteria.
For more information, please contact General Manager Jeff LaCasse of the Kennebec Water District at 207-872-2763, jlacasse@prexar.com, or 6 Cool Street in Waterville.