Kamas boil water order lifted 4 days after E. coli detected in city's water supply - KUTV 2News

Kamas boil water order lifted 4 days after E. coli detected in city's water supply | KUTV

KAMAS, Utah (KUTV) — The boil water order in Kamas has been lifted four days after E. coli was detected in the city's water supply.

On May 25, the health department notified Kamas City Water that a sample taken within their system had tested positive for E. coli.

The next day, the city released a boil water order notifying residents about the contamination and what steps to take.

They said no one should drink the water, and any water used needed to be boiled for at least one minute before it was cooled and used.

City officials continued to advise that anyone experiencing symptoms consistent with E. coli consumption should seek medical advise. Those symptoms included diarrhea, cramps, nausea and headaches.

Kamas Mayor Matt McCormick said he believes spring runoff was the cause of E. coli getting into their water supply.

However, no exact cause has been officially determined and experts said there were several other potential reasons for the contamination, such as cross-connections or backflow issues.

In order to flush your water lines following the boil order, city officials said to take the following steps:

- Run all cold water faucet taps for at least 5 minutes: Begin with the lowest faucet in your home and open faucets one at a time, moving from the lowest floor of your home to the highest. After five minutes, turn off your faucets in reverse order, from highest to lowest.
- Hot Water Faucets: To clear hot-water pipes and water heater of untreated water, flush the hot water line for a minimum of 15 minutes for a typical household 40-gallon hot-water tank, 30 minutes for an 80- gallon hot water tank or larger. Hot water is then safe to use for washing hands, and for handwashing of dishes, pots and pans, etc.
- Dishwasher: After flushing the hot water pipes and water heater, run your dishwasher on empty one time.
- Ice machines: Dispose of any ice from before or during the boil order and flush the water feed lines by running the ice maker for 24 hours and disposing of this batch as well. Wipe down the ice bin with a disinfectant.
- Water dispensers on fridges: Water dispensers from refrigerators should be flushed through at least one quart of water. If unsure of your dispenser’s capacity, refer to manufacturer specifications.
- Humidifiers: Discard any water used in humidifiers, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), oral, medical, or health care devices, and rinse the device with clean water.
- Water filters: Replace all water filters.

For food service establishments, they outlined taking the following steps:

- Flush pipes throughout the facility by running each faucet with cold water for 5 minutes.
- Flush, clean, and sanitize appliances that use tap water (such as beverage dispensers, spray misters, coffee and tea urns, ice machines, glass washers, dishwashers) according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Run water softeners through a regeneration cycle.
- Flush hot water tanks.
- Run drinking fountains continuously for 5 minutes to flush the system.
- Replace and sanitize water filter cartridges according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Take proper steps to flush ice machines by following the manufacturer’s instructions, including:

- Throw out any remaining ice.

- Flush the water line to the machine inlet.

- Close the valve on the water line behind the machine.

- Disconnect the water line from the machine inlet.

- Open the valve and run 5 gallons of water through the valve.

- Dispose of the water.

- Close the valve.