The Jenkinsville Water Company issued a boil water advisory for all of its approximately 780 customers Monday after a water test by the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) found E. coli bacteria present in water sampled from a home serviced by the company, DHEC said.
Gregrey Ginyard, the Water Board’s president, said the sample came from a home in the Blair/Feasterville area and was part of standard random testing procedures practiced by DHEC. The customer-wide boil water advisory was a precaution, Ginyard said, and is in effect until DHEC and the water company can pinpoint the source of the contamination.
“We are pulling samples from all of our wells,” Ginyard said. “Meanwhile, we are going back to the residence (where the contaminated sample originated) and re-testing there, as well as testing their neighbors’ homes above and below them.”
DHEC said three samples tested positive for total coliform, leading the Department to further test the samples for E. coli, which was found in one of the samples.
People are asked to boil their water for at least one full minute before using it to prepare food or to drink.
E. coli can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea and headaches. It can be potentially even more dangerous in small children.
Ginyard said he expects the matter to be cleared up within five days.
