Overview
- Town officials posted a boil‑water order on Friday after a sample taken earlier in the week tested positive for E. coli and residents were told not to drink tap water without boiling it for at least one minute.
- A second round of tests returned positive for other bacteria that usually do not cause illness but can signal that more harmful pathogens may be present, leaving health risk and timing uncertain.
- Water crews are flushing hydrants and collecting repeat samples as the town says the interruption could last about three to four days and the order will remain in place until tests confirm safety.
- The town is distributing two free cases of bottled water per household at Cole Parkway and businesses have had to discard ice, stop using soda and ice machines, and alter food service operations.
- Officials said contamination often comes from runoff or problems in the distribution system such as a burst pipe, Humarock is not affected, and town leaders point to a similar multi‑town event in 2019 as precedent.