HEALTH

UPDATE: Boil water order remains for 72 hours in parts of Pleasant Grove City

PLEASANT GROVE, UT — A boil water order remains in effect for at least the next 72 hours for parts of Pleasant Grove City due to continued traces of E.Coli in the water. Residents in the Monson Services Area are advised to boil their water until further notice. 

City officials say there’s no evidence that the presence of E. Coli has stretched past the original area. The city is continuing to investigate the source of bacteria to help mitigate the problem. 

On Sunday, the City of Pleasant Grove received preliminary results on tests for E. Coli. taken yesterday on culinary water samples from the area around 300 North and 300 East. 

The water is being investigated after routine testing at one household showed the presence of E. Coli.

In a statement released by Pleasant Grove, officials said that tests conducted on water samples from the neighborhood of 300 North and 300 East came back as negative for coliform. The city says it awaits additional test results from the area of 300 North between 300 East and 400 East. 

Tests of culinary water coming from three sources that feed into the neighborhood in question have come back with coliform negative results. However, a boil water order remains in effect.

The city is required by Utah law to test culinary water for the presence of E. Coli.  They said that during their routine testing in the Monson area of the city around September 1, one sample registered as positive for E. Coli.  Upon returning to the area on Sept. 3 as per state standard, an additional 3 samples came back positive.

Test results from the samples were given to the city on Sept. 5 as it takes two days to complete the tests.

In the meantime, Pleasant Grove city officials say they can lift the boil water advisory when they receive two negative tests for E. Coli from the household that initially tested positive.

What do residents and businesses need to do?

Pleasant Grove City has issued the following information on how to proceed with the boil order advisory:

1. DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil. Let it boil for three minutes. 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.
2. 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 of the elderly and people with severely compromised immune systems.
3. The symptoms above may be caused by other issues. 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.

Ryan Meeks and Saige Miller contributed to this report.

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