Englewood Drinking Water Tests Positive For E. coli, Boil Order In Place
UPDATE: Englewood's Boil Water Advisory Lifted On Friday
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4)- The City of Englewood has issued a boil order for its residents after a sample came back positive for E. coli bacteria. The alert was issued on Wednesday evening.
According to the City of Englewood, "In accordance with drinking water regulations, the City of Englewood collects water quality samples at the beginning of each month. On August 3 and August 4, the City of Englewood collected water quality sample from 24 sites throughout the City's water system. One sample site of the 24 sample sites was found to contain the presence of E. coli. E. coli bacteria can make people sick and is of particular concern to people with weakened immune systems."
The city has specified that the impacted areas are considered Water Distribution Zone 1 within the boundaries on the map below.
The city recommends that everyone who lives within the highlighted area of the map boil their water for at least 3 minutes before using it for drinking, preparing or cooking food, and brushing teeth, or use bottled water for those tasks.
The city is trying to determine the specific cause of the positive E. coli sample. It could be bacterial contamination at the specific test site or a break in the distribution system. The city said it is flushing the water lines in Zone 1. The distribution system is being monitored and the city is conducting additional testing to determine when boiling is no longer required.
Many people in the Denver metro area received the alert on their phones but the boil order and E. coli warning are only for Englewood.
Water deliveries from Denver Water are safe. We are aware of the boil water order from Englewood. If you are a Denver Water customer, your water is not affected by the boil water order.
— Denver Water (@DenverWater) August 4, 2021
Another utility accidently included Aurora residents in an emergency notification. There is no boil order for Aurora Water or our customers.
— Aurora Water (@AuroraWaterCO) August 4, 2021
Swedish Medical Center is included in the impacted area, but a hospital spokesperson Stephanie Sullivan said facility operations and patient care has not been affected. She included a statement from the hospital:
"Swedish Medical Center was notified Wednesday afternoon of a boil water advisory by the City of Englewood. We immediately opened incident command to actively monitor the situation and ensure that patient care is not disrupted. We are closely following the City of Englewood's guidelines and will collaborate with City officials as well as our own infection prevention team and other HealthONE hospitals to ensure our high-quality care to patients and safe work environment for colleagues are not impacted."
Pirate's Cove is advising families to bring their own water bottles, as it the Gothic Theater.
The supplies of bottled water available to the public were impacted by early evening. At the King Soopers located at 101 Englewood Parkway, a CBS4 staffer found the shelves empty of bottled water.
The 4Gs On Broadway restaurant at 3866 S Broadway was unable to serve refreshments from its beverage dispensers. The restaurant's owner told CBS4 she went to five stores in attempt to purchase canned beverages for her customers. She found those easily. However, none of the stores had bottled water.
People living in Englewood who are serviced by Denver Water are not affected by boil water advisory.
The city set up a water distribution center at the Englewood Civic Center, 1000 Englewood Parkway, and was handing out bottled water until 10 p.m. Wednesday. Staff planned to re-open again at 7:30 Thursday morning.
Water Distribution Site at the Englewood Civic Center
— City of Englewood CO (@NewsEnglewoodCO) August 5, 2021
Wednesday, August 4: Now until 10:00 pm
Thursday, August 5: Starting at 7:30 am – until the warning is lifted
The water is for Englewood residents in the affected area of Zone 1. Water will be limited to 64 oz per person. pic.twitter.com/zMSwbrlBWR
There is also a call center to answer questions at 303-762-2365. Residents are discouraged from calling the Englewood Police Department.