Officials Issue Notice After 'Fecal' Indicator Found in Water

Canton officials recently issued a notice to residents regarding the indication that a certain "fecal" indicator had been detected in the town's water supply. 

Emphasizing that the detection was not an emergency, the notice to residents stated that residents did not need to boil water or take other corrective actions. 

"The water was never sent out to Canton homes, it was detected before it entered into the treatment system," said Michael Jerrier, Account Coordinator for the Canton Water/Sewer Department. "We routinely check the water."

The notice is as follows:

We routinely monitor for the presence of drinking water contaminants to ensure the safety of the water supply. On Nov. 8, 2012, the Town of Canton testing protocols discovered that a fecal indicator (E. coli or enterococci) was detected in Well #9 from one sample prior to treatment collected on Nov. 7. In accordance with the new federal Ground Water Rule requirements, we are notifying you of the situation and conducting additional sampling and taking further actions if necessary. 

Our system is routinely disinfected with chlorine, which provides a level of protection from bacterial contamination including fecal contaminants. It is important to note that samples collected on the same day Nov. 7 in the distribution system after treatment did not detect any fecal contaminants. It is after treatment water that is provided to you as our customer.