NEW PLYMOUTH -- The boil order for the City of New Plymouth has been lifted and the water is now safe to drink and use.
On Friday, residents were told that E. coli bacteria were found in the drinking water. People were encouraged to boil the water for one minute before using it for anything.
New Plymouth Public Works Superintendent Beau Ziemer says the problem which lead to E. coli getting into the water has been corrected and the water is now safe to use. They heavily chlorinated the water and did a flush of the affected area to make sure no bacteria was left behind.
It was such an isolated incident that we were able to get it cleaned up quick, Ziemer said. We knew where we were working, and we feel confident that it is all gone.
Ziemer says they are not sure at this point exactly how the E. coli got into the water in the first place, but they suspect it entered due to a backflow from a well or sprinkler system that somebody might have hooked to their house.
All of the city's tests have come back and E. coli bacteria is no longer a threat to people using the water.
