Boil Water Order Lifted In Bourne
The boil water order for the town of Bourne was officially lifted this afternoon.
The Bourne Water District issued a boil water order for its customers south of the Cape Cod Canal on Friday, August 11 after detecting E. coli contamination in water samples.
A press release from the town was sent out shortly after 3:30 PM on Wednesday, August 15, announcing that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has lifted its boil water order for Bourne Water District customers effective immediately. The DEP's determination to lift the order came after required samples collected by the district yesterday, August 14, had been analyzed and assessed for E. coli contamination.
The order was issued after routine water samples collected on Thursday, August 10, tested positive for E. coli.
Although the boil water order has been lifted, DEP recommends the following precautions for customers of the Bourne Water District:
Flush your household and building water lines, including interior and exterior faucets, showers, water/ice dispensers, water treatment units, water heaters and some types of water treatment devices.
Run cold water faucets for one minute or more until the water feels cold before drinking, brushing your teeth, or using for food preparation (if you have a single-lever faucet, set it to run the cold water first).
Hot-water pipes and water heaters should be cleared of untreated water by changing all faucets to hot water and flush for at least 15 minutes for a typical household 40-gallon hot-water tank, or 30 minutes for an 80-gallon hot water tank or larger. Hot water is then safe to use for washing hands, dishes, pots and pans, etc; never use water from the hot faucet for drinking, rinsing your mouth, or cooking.
Dishwashers can be cleared after hot water pipes and water heaters have been flushed by running the dishwasher empty one time.
Discard any water used in humidifiers, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines, oral, medical or health care devices. Rinse the device with clean water.
Discard baby formula and other foods prepared with water prepared on or after the day of the boil order issued last Friday, August 11.
Refrigerator water-dispensing machines should be flushed with at least one quarter of water.
Automatic ice dispensers should be emptied of ice made during the boil order and run through a 24-hour cycle. Discard this ice to assure purging of the icemaker's water supply line.
Customers who have questions can contact the Bourne Water District at 508-563-2294 and check for updates at www.bournewaterdistrict.com.