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Coliform in Nelson water

Residents of Nelson have been told for the second time this month to boil their tap water before drinking it.

The city issued the boil-water notice Wednesday evening, after finding samples of coliform bacteria in the system.

“The sample was from the outer limit of our distribution system,” says Chris Gainham, manager of municipal services.  He says one bit of good news was that no E. coli was found in the city’s main reservoir.

“I suspect it may be an issue with our sampling,” Gainham says.

False alarm or not, officials issued the health notice to residents, and began flushing out the system and shocking it with chlorine. Gainham says they’ll re-sample the water in about three days. If no E. coli samples are found, they’ll rescind the boil-water notice.

But that doesn’t mean Nelson water users are out of the woods. High temperatures over the next few days are expected to bring a lot of snowmelt down from the mountains, increasing turbidity and degrading water quality. Before Wednesday's boil notice, the city had been under a water quality advisory since May 6.

E. coli in water can indicate the presence of bacteria, viruses and parasites that can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, vomiting or other symptoms.

Water should be brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute and let to cool before drinking.



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