Water System Sampling

Coliform Bacteria Notice

The City of Blaine Water System routinely monitors for the presence of total coliform bacteria and in August 2011 this type of bacteria was detected. Although this incident was not an emergency, you have a right to know what happened and what we did to correct the situation.

Please share this notice with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly such as people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses. You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

About Coliform

Coliforms are bacteria which are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially harmful, bacteria may be present. Coliforms were found in more samples than allowed and this was a warning of potential problems.

Testing for Other Bacteria

The samples that showed the presence of coliform were further tested to see if other bacteria of greater concern, such as fecal coliform or E.coli were present. None of these bacteria were found and therefore you do not need to boil your water. People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at an increased risk and may want to contact their health care provider for additional guidance.

Investigation Results

Further investigation revealed that one of our seasonal wells (No.7) located on 12^th Street had been put into service without adequate flushing.

The problem is resolved and procedures put in place to prevent this in the future. Additional samples collected were found to be free of coliform bacteria.