City of Gothenburg Office, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
GOTHENBURG — The City of Gothenburg advises residents that the boil water order due to E. coli bacteria presence was still in effect while additional rounds of testing have been conducted.
The city released a timeline of events that lead to the boil water being issued.
On Aug. 7, a routine coliform bacteria test was completed, by Aug. 9 the city was notified of a positive result from the test, it did not indicate E. coli at the time.
Further testing in the area was required and the state does not require the public to be notified at this time due to the possibility of a false positive test result.
“The state does not consider a positive coliform bacteria test a health concern to the public until further testing is done,” according to the City of Gothenburg, “The state requires three rounds of testing after a positive result from a routine bacteria test.”
On Aug. 14, the first round of retesting took place at the original site, along with one upstream location and one downstream location of the surrounding area and two wells that were running at the time. The samples were shipped back to a state lab the same day.
By Aug. 16, the results from the Aug. 14 test showed the upstream site was positive for E. coli bacteria, which triggered the boil water order from the state.
The city was notified about the boil water order at 1:30 p.m. and moved to communicate the information to the public through a variety of means.
On Aug. 20, a second round of testing, consisting of eight tests, including the original site, two locations upstream, two locations downstream and three scattered locations throughout the city was conducted.
The samples were shipped back to the state the same day.
While not required by state statute, the city began the process of chlorinating all three wells on Aug. 20.
A third round of testing was conducted on Aug. 21, consisting of nine tests that included the original site, two upstream and two downstream locations and four scattered locations throughout the community. Samples were shipped to the state on the same day.
Per the City of Gothenburg, residents should continue to follow the boil water order until further notice.
E. coli bacteria indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal waste. Human pathogens in the water can cause short term effects such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches or other symptoms.
This can pose a greater health risk for infants, young children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.
Gothenburg residents are advised not to drink water without boiling it first. Water should be brought to a boil for one minute and then cooled for use. Boling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
Bacterial contamination can occur when increased run-off enters a drinking water source; it can also occur due to a break in the distribution system or a failure in the water treatment process.
Other tips were also shared regarding water usage during the boil water order.
Per the city, in many cases, residents can use tap water and soap to hand wash during the order. It is advised to scrub hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and then rinse them well under water.
Regarding hygiene, the city notes to not swallow any water when bathing or showering. Parents or caregivers should use caution when bathing babies and young children.
Teeth brushing should be done with bottled or boiled water that has cooled.
For washing dishes, residents are advised to use disposable plates, cups and utensils if possible.
For those who need to dishwash, they are asked to follow these instructions:
Household dishwashers are generally safe if the water reaches a final rinse temperature of at least 150 degrees or if the machine has a sanitizing cycle.
To wash dishes by hand: wash and rinse dishes as normal with hot water. In a separate basin, add one teaspoon of unscented household liquid bleach for each gallon of warm water.
Soak the dishes in the water for at least one minute and let the dishes air dry completely before using again.
Pets can get sick from the same germs and bacteria as people. They should be given bottled water or boiled water that has cooled.
