Burlington Re-Testing Water, Unsure Of Contamination Cause

BURLINGTON, MA — Town officials do not know what caused the E. coli contamination that prompted a boil water order, which remains in effect Friday.

Director of Public Works John Sanchez and Director of Public Health Susan Lumenello said anyone who uses public water still should boil it before drinking or cooking with it.

The Burlington Board of Health has not heard about anyone becoming ill due to the contamination.

DPW is sampling the water across the town, including three of the 11 water samples that came back positive for E. coli, a bacteria that can cause illness such as diahrrea, headaches, fatigue and other symptoms.

Related: With Chemicals In Drinking Water, Burlington Details Next Steps

A Burlington police drone is being used to make sure all water tank hatches are secure

"We are working closely with [Department of Environmental Protection" to determine the extent of the issue and are making active efforts to correct it," Sanchez said in an update. "I want to apologize for the inconvenience this has caused, and assure residents that we are doing our very best to correct it as soon as possible."

Most strains of E. coli are actually harmless. Earlier this year in Natick it was determined a mix-up at a Rhode Island lab was possibly to blame for positive E. coli tests that resulted in a boil water order.

Anyone with questions can call Public Works at 781-270-1670 or the Board of Health at 781-270-1955.

Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi. Subscribe to Burlington Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook