Residents of Scituate, Massachusetts, are raising concerns after a delayed E. coli warning left families using tap water before learning it could be contaminated.
Here's what to know
Boston 25 News reported on the controversial delayed order instructing residents to boil tap water before using it or switch to bottled water. The town issued its advisory two days after being notified of the contamination, and town officials acknowledged problems with emergency calls reaching homes.
The state laboratory detected E. coli in a town water sample on Tuesday, per the station. The town received notice one day after the sample was collected.
Schools received notice before emergency alerts went out to the broader community, a difference that added to residents' concerns about the town's communications. Town officials defended the timing, saying they followed required procedures and waited for a state form letter before sending the alerts.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection later lifted the advisory. Boston 25 reported that follow-up samples contained total coliform, but E. coli was not detected.
More background
Scituate resident Jennifer Ward told the network she learned about the order from a sign in town after already using the water. She rushed home to stop her family and three dogs from using it but overlooked one dog bowl.
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Ward said a veterinarian diagnosed all three dogs with E. coli. The visit cost about $1,500, and the dogs received antibiotics, according to Boston 25.
"It's absurd and unacceptable," Ward said.
Resident Meghan Farrar told the outlet that her 3-year-old daughter remained ill throughout the advisory weekend, "clutching her stomach, doubled over."
Farrar said the child's pediatrician told her the symptoms she described were consistent with E. coli.
"I never got any official communication from the town," she relayed to Boston 25.
What's being done?
The town distributed bottled water in Scituate Harbor during the advisory, though some residents faced lengthy waits. Resident Tom Wall told the station he waited 37 minutes and saw others leave the line because they could not stay longer.
Boston 25 reported that, in a statement posted to Facebook, a Select Board member said email alerts and Facebook posts went out once the state letter arrived. The statement also said eight signs were posted around town.
Community members have asked for emergency notices through a better channel than social media. According to the station, Scituate town officials said they were considering ways to prevent another communication failure after acknowledging that reverse 911 calls apparently had not reached some homes.
Scituate Town Manager James Boudreau addressed families' concerns in a letter shared by Boston 25.
"We regret the anxiety and inconvenience this situation caused for families across town. Please rest assured that safeguarding our community's public health and drinking water remains our absolute highest priority," he wrote.
"We pay a phenomenal amount of money in both our water bills and our tax bills in this town to have this kind of problem," Ward lamented to the outlet.
Where can I learn more?
Other communities have faced water outages, contamination concerns, and boil-water orders.
• In Great Barrington, Massachusetts, a resident displayed a jar of brown water as an outage continued.
• In Massachusetts, a utility's $100,000 debt threatened emergency supply while a water filter stalled.
• In Texas, Ventana residents faced a boil-water notice after a pressure drop raised bacteria risk.
• In California, a public safety power shutoff disrupted water service and triggered a boil notice.
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