COLONIAL BEACH, Va. (AP) — Colonial Beach residents have been advised to boil their water because of E. coli contamination.
The Free Lance-Star reports (http://bit.ly/1r8j9f0 ) that up to 2,500 homes could be affected.
The contamination was discovered in a sample taken from a home on July 8. The advisory was issued Tuesday after six additional samples from the town’s wells tested positive for E. coli. Two samples also tested positive for coliform bacteria.
The town is flushing pipes and increasing chlorination before collecting additional samples for testing. Bennett Ragnauth of the Virginia Department of Health says those results should be known by Friday.
E. coli is a microbe that indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. It can cause short-term health problems, including diarrhea, cramps, nausea and headaches.
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Information from: The Free Lance-Star, http://www.fredericksburg.com/
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