Bourne Water District Issues Boil Water Order for Customers

BOURNE — Town Administrator Marlene McCollem reports that the Bourne Water District has issued a boil water order for its customers. This order only applies to customers on the south side of the Cape Cod Canal. The Sagamore Water District and Buzzards Bay Water District are not impacted.

The order was issued after routine water samples collected on Aug. 10, tested positive for E. coli. Immediately after identifying the positive samples, water district officials engaged the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and a boil water order was issued.

The boil water order remains in effect for all Bourne Water District customers and will continue until further notice.

To assist the Bourne Water District in notifying customers, the Town of Bourne will be sending out a reverse 911 message to residents today. There will also be digital message boards placed throughout town with a message about the order.

This order applies to all Bourne Water District customers, including businesses. All water that will be used for 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 Aug. 10 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 order. 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.

The Bourne Water District will be collecting additional water samples in the coming days and are taking steps to resolve the issue.

Bourne Water District customers will be notified when the order has been lifted and they no longer need to boil their water.

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 health care provider.

Bourne Water District customers with questions can contact Robert Prophett by calling 508-563-2294 or 508-209-4863

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

###