Boil Water Advisory For Centre Of New England

COVENTRY, RI The state health department has issued a boil water advisory for Centre of New England customers in Coventry. The reason is because E. coli bacteria was found. The advice is to boil the water "vigorously" for at least one minute, police said. That includes water used for cooking and brushing teeth. The health department also says infants should not be bathed in the water. Here is the press release.

The recommendation to boil for one minute pertains to water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. Infants and young children should not be bathed in this water because they may swallow it accidentally. Anyone else using this water for bathing or showering should be careful to avoid swallowing the water.

E. coli is bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term health effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They pose a special health risk for infants, young children, and people with severely compromised immune systems. EPA has set a drinking water standard for E. Coli to reduce the risk of these adverse health effects. Under this standard, drinking water must be free of these bacteria for water to be consumed from a system.

Using bottled water is an alternative. Fire Chief Frank Brown said residents can also fill water containers at the Hopkins Hill and Arnold Road Fire Stations.

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