Boil water notice lifted for Galveston

E. coli found in Galveston water

GALVESTON, Texas – The city of Galveston lifted a boil water notice for residents on Wednesday morning.

City officials issued the boil water notice on Tuesday after E. coli was found in a drinking water sample. Three more samples were taken Monday in the same area. Health officials said one sample tested positive for indicator bacteria for E. coli.

Additional samples taken Tuesday were tested and they met all state and federal standards for potable drinking water, city officials said.

As a precaution on Tuesday, all residents were asked to use bottled water or boil water for 2 minutes prior to cooking or eating until the order was lifted.

Galveston released the following statement Wednesday.

"All residents and business owners are instructed to flush their own water lines by turning on all indoor and outdoor faucets, both hot and cold taps, and allowing water to run for several minutes.  Similarly, citizens are advised to discard several trays of ice cubes from automatic icemakers.

"On Monday the city was notified that a drinking water sample taken during routine sampling tested positive for Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria.  Following Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) mandated procedures, the city conducted a resampling in that area yesterday.  Of the three subsequent samples taken, one tested positive for indicator bacteria; not E. coli.  The city issued a boil water notice in accordance with State law to ensure the public's health and welfare.

"The City of Galveston tests drinking water samples from 32 sites twice a month.  It is highly irregular for samples to fail and even more rare for a sample to test positive for E. coli bacteria. For more information please contact the City of Galveston's Public Works Department at (409) 797-3630."

So far, there are no reports of any illnesses. 

Symptoms for E. coli include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.