NATICK, MA – Natick residents have to boil drinking water for at least the next few days after water tests showed evidence of E. coli bacteria in the water supply.
The boiling water warning came in the middle of the Natick Selection Board meeting. The city’s new interim administrator, Robert Rooney, made the announcement and said nine of the 12 recent water tests were positive for the bacteria. Rooney said the warning will last until Saturday because the city will have to test the water samples again.
Under a boiling water warning, residents must first boil the water for at least a minute before drinking, cooking, brushing their teeth or any activity that involves drinking water.
Rooney did not know why the tests were positive. Another round of tests will be carried out to verify the results.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, E. coli can cause symptoms such as stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. The disease can take up to four days to appear, and a small number of people – between 5 and 10 percent – can develop a potentially fatal condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can cause kidney failure.