North Attleborough Officials Announce Boil Water Notice

NORTH ATTLEBORO — The Town of North Attleboro reports that the Town is currently under a boil water notice following the detection of E. coli in routine water sample collections.

The notice was issued after routine Town water samples collected on Wednesday, September 21 tested positive for E. coli. The E. coli was detected in the raw part of the water system and treatment facility that the Town of North Attleborough shares with the Town of Plainville.

Immediately after identifying the positive samples, officials engaged the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and a boil water notice is currently being issued. The cause of the contamination remains unknown at this time.

The boil water notice remains in effect Town-wide for all those who utilize public water, and will continue until further notice. All water used for here cooking, drinking, brushing teeth, washing dishes or food preparation should be boiled for at least one minute prior to use, or bottled water should be used as an alternative.

Any ice, beverages, formula or uncooked foods that were prepared with water from the public water system on or after Sept. 21 should also be discarded. 

The same precautions to protect humans also apply to pets. Pets should be given bottled water or boiled water that has cooled. Water from any appliance connected to your water line, such as ice and water from a refrigerator, should not be used for pets while under a boil water notice. Fish or other aquatic pets should not be exposed to water containing elevated bacteria levels, and appropriately boiled or bottled water should be used instead.

To ensure residents have safe drinking water, the Town will distribute water at the Department of Public Works Garage, 240 Smith St., beginning at 3 p.m. today.

The towns will be collecting additional water samples today, Sept. 22.

Residents will be notified when the boil water notice ends.

E. coli is a sub-group of the fecal coliform bacteria group. There are many strains of E. coli, most of which are harmless, but some strains can cause illness. Symptoms of E. coli sickness can include diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches or other symptoms. These symptoms may pose a greater health risk for infants, young children, the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems. These symptoms, however, are not just associated with water-borne illness; they may also come from other diseases. If you are ill with these symptoms, please contact your healthcare provider.

Residents with additional questions can contact the North Attleboro Department of Public Works at 508-695-7790.

Additional information regarding drinking water boil notices and other public health orders can be found on the DEP’s website here.

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