Contamination found in drinking water

E. coli was found in drinking water Wednesday and Thursday, as the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. said the ongoing outages have affected water quality.

Two samples, one conducted on Wednesday and one on Thursday, found E. coli bacteria in the water delivered to portions of As Gonno Road, Ahu Drive and Alaguan Street, according to CUC.

Tests indicated there was adequate levels of chlorine, which is used to disinfect the water system, but the samples were collected during or within an hour of a power outage, according to CUC.

“Therefore, the chlorine treatment did not have enough mixing or contact time within the distribution system,” CUC said.

Yesterday morning chlorinators flushed out the lines and the chlorine treatment was increased, according to CUC. More samples were taken yesterday afternoon and results will be ready by this afternoon.

The pipes that pump the water are designed to be pressure-filled, but with the constant outages, the pipes are not fully pressured, allowing contaminated ground water to enter and fill the pipes, said Derek Chambers, an Environmental Protection Agency advisor to the Division of Environmental Quality who works within the Safe Drinking Water branch.

Proper water pressurization is a concern for CUC, and they are addressing the issue in a number of ways, said Bruce Megarr, CUC deputy director for the Water and Sewer Division.

First, he said, after CUC began metering the amount of water consumers used rather than using a flat rate, consumption dropped.

Also, a leak detection team is dispatched to areas that have two to three hours of unpressurized water, Megarr said.

“[The teams] have been very successful in Susupe and Chalan Kanoa, and San Antonio,” he added.

CUC is also working to make sure there is plenty of available chlorine, Megarr said. They recently renewed their contract with the chlorine provider and have ordered 36 additional chlorine cylinders. Chlorine injectors with repair kits have also been ordered to “ensure chlorine delivery to water systems is as seamless as possible,” he added.

E. coli and fecal coliforms are bacteria that indicate the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes, according to CUC. Microbes in the waste can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches or other symptoms.

CUC recommends residents in the affected areas to not drink the water without boiling it for one minute and letting it cool. Household bleach can also be added to the water. After adding the bleach, allow it to mix or sit with the water for 30 minutes or more.