DRINKING WATER WARNING/BOIL WATER ALERT
For SCWA water customers in Ocean Bay Park and Point O’ Woods
E.coli bacteria, a form of fecal coliform, were found in water supply samples collected at Ocean Bay Park. The test results of the samples became available on June 21, 2014. These bacteria can make you sick, and are a particular concern for people with weakened immune systems.
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. Take care when bathing infants or the elderly to avoid inadvertent ingestion.
- Fecal coliforms and E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some 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 about drinking water from their health care providers.
What happened? What is being done?
Bacterial contamination can enter the drinking water source or the test samples during collection. It can also happen due to a break in the distribution systems (pipes) or a failure in the water treatment process, although we have had no indications that any of these situations have occurred.
We are currently retesting our wells and our distribution systems (pipes) to determine the source of this bacteria. We will inform you when tests show no bacteria and you no longer need to boil your water.
For more information, please contact our Customer Service representatives at (631) 665-0663.
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, 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 the Suffolk County Water Authority. State Water System ID#’s 5110526 and 5110599.
This notice DOES NOT APPLY to communities EAST of Point O’ Woods and WEST of Ocean Bay Park.
Distributed on June 21, 2014.