IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER
Breaking: Titusville water tests positive for fecal indicators – boil water notice in place
Published on
BOIL YOUR WATER BEFORE USING
City of Titusville’s Raw (Unprocessed) Water Tested Positive for Fecal Indicator
Our water system recently detected a fecal indicator, E. coli, in our raw (unprocessed) water samples from each of our wellfield sample points. Our customers have a right to know what happened and what we are doing to correct this situation. On August 6, 2021, we learned that samples taken on August 4, 2021 were E. coli positive. We immediately collected new samples from all three raw water sources. No E. coli, was present in the samples taken on August 5, 2021 from each of the three raw water sources. As required by EPA’s Ground Water Rule, we collected additional samples from these sources within 24 hours to determine the extent of the problem. Additional sampling took place today, August 6, 2021.
What should I do? What does this mean?
DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
Fecal indicators are microbes 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 may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.
The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice from their health care providers about drinking this water.
What is being done?
Immediately upon learning of the presence of total coliform in the samples, the City of Titusville re-sampled the three raw water sample points on August 5, 2021. No total coliform was present in the new samples. The City of Titusville collected an additional 5 consecutive samples at each raw water location today (August 6) to test for the presence of total coliform. To ensure errors do not occur again, personnel training and sampling protocols and procedures have been revised and amended. We will inform you when tests no longer show the presence of E. coli and you no longer need to boil your water.
For more information, please contact Sean Stauffer, Water Resources Director, at (321) 567-3855 or write to City of Titusville, 2836 Garden Street, Titusville, FL 32796.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have
received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can
do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
This notice is being sent to you by City of Titusville, FL
State Water System ID# 3051367 Date Sent: 8/6/21