Independent Investigation Into Burlington's E. Coli Test Results

BURLINGTON, MA — The town's water is mostly safe to drink again, but there are still questions about what led to the positive E. coli test results last week.

Burlington announced Wednesday it has hired an engineering firm for an independent investigation into what may have caused the positive results that led to a boil water order, which was lifted a couple days later.

The investigation's findings will be made public.

"At this point no conclusions have been reached," the town said.

Health officials never received a report of someone becoming ill from the bacteria, and there was no cause given.

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.

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