There’s no current health risk, the Aquarion Water Company says, but coliform bacteria was found in the water supply serving about 150 customers on one of several small Ridgefield Lakes area water systems.
“This does not pose any health risk,” said Bruce Silverstone, head of Aquarion’s public communications department.
Aquarion has been treating the water with chlorine, he said, and affected homeowners should received a “red alert” telephone message today, Tuesday, June 18.
With both state and town health department’s aware of the situation, no “boil water” advisory was required, according to Mr. Silverstone.
“The Department of Public Health mandates that any time this is found in the water, people need to be notified,” he said.
The bacteria were detected last Thursday, June 13.
There was a similar problem with the system once last year, and company has begun working on plans for permanent chlorine treatment.
While coliform bacteria is not a threat itself, and can be found in both soil and water, it is also found at high concentrations in the feces of warm-blooded animals and is used as an indicator of contamination.
“There was no fecal coliform, just coliform — it’s bacteria, but not harmful,” said town Health Director Ed Briggs.
“Coliform can be in the soil, and normally the ground works as a filter,” Mr. Silverstone said. “W believe the excessive rain we’ve had in the last two weeks was the cause of this — the ground was simply not able to filter that much runoff.”
For more information, customers may call Aquarion’s Nancy Roberts 1-800-832-2373.