Boil order issued for city of Wahoo

WAHOO, Neb. (KOLN) — The city of Wahoo issued a boil order on Tuesday after E. coli bacteria was detected in the water.

Officials said they found E. coli bacteria in the water, indicating the need to look for potential problems in water treatment or distribution. Officials are currently chlorinating the system, overflowing the water tower and flushing the system in order to fix the issue.

E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Human pathogens in these wastes can cause short term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a greater health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.

Residents are advised not to drink the water without boiling it first. Officials ask residents to boil water for one minute, and let cool before using. Likewise, residents can use bottled water.

Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice.

Bacterial contamination can occur when increased run-off enters the drinking water source. It can also happen due to a break in the distribution system or a failure in the water treatment process. The system is continuing to test and is working to identify the source of the problem.

City officials expect the problem to be solved by Nov. 7.

General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or epa.gov/safewater.

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