In accordance with the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations, the Lower Big Blue NRD – Wymore, NE3121368, public water supply system in Gage County, is hereby making public notice of the violation of drinking water microbiological standards. The violation consists of the detection of E. coli bacteria in its distribution system during the month of October 2019.
What should I do?
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.
What does this mean?
E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Human pathogens in these wastes can cause short term 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 health care providers about their drinking water.
What happened? What is being done?
Bacterial contamination can occur when increased runoff enters the drinking water source (for example, following heavy rains). It can also happen due to a break in the distribution system (pipes) or a failure in the water treatment process.
We found E.coli bacteria indicating the need to look for potential problems in water treatment or distribution. When this occurs we are required to conduct an assessment to identify problems and to correct any problems that were found during these assessments.
The Lower Big Blue NRD – Wymore public water supply system is continuing to test and is working with the Drinking Water Program to identify the source of the problem and to return the water supply system to compliance. We will inform you when tests show no further contamination and you no longer need to boil your water. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
