Oxford, MS water tests positive for E. coli bacteria - WREG NewsChannel 3

Oxford, MS water tests positive for E. coli bacteria

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A boil water alert is in effect in Oxford, Mississippi after water samples tested positive for E. coli bacteria, according to Oxford Utilities.

Reports say water treatment operators collected routine water samples across the city of Oxford on Monday and Tuesday of this week and sent them off to the MS Department of Health for testing.

One of the water samples tested positive for E. coli bacteria on Thursday, and per code, a state-imposed water boil alert was issued until additional samples could be collected and tested.

City of Oxford Utilities General Manager, Rob Neely, says that it is hard to understand why a sample tested positive for E. coli due to one factor.

Prior to collecting a routine sample, the water is tested by staff for chlorine residual at the same location to ensure there is adequate chlorine residual present.

Neely says that if chlorine residual is present at approved levels in the water at the time of sampling, E. coli can not be present.

Because of this, Oxford Utilities believes the sample had to have been contaminated by “human error,” according to Neely.

“The City COO, Bart Robinson, has been over the water department for more than 26 years and has never had a positive test for E. coli on the City of Oxford water system. This is a very rare occurrence for Oxford,” said Neely.

The state-imposed boil water alert applies to all Oxford Utilities customers.

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As of Friday, 125 water samples have reportedly been pulled and transported to the MSHD lab in Jackson, Mississippi for testing.

Results are expected Saturday afternoon.

According to Oxford Utilities, if the samples come back clear, the water boil alert will be lifted. If the samples again test positive for E. coli, another round of samples will need to be pulled and tested on Saturday and Sunday.