UPDATE: The City of Tyler announced Saturday that the boil water notice has been lifted.

ORIGINAL STORY

The City of Tyler has issued a boil water notice for Tyler Water Utilities customers.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality requires the City of Tyler (PWS 2120004) public water system to notify Tyler Water Utilities customers to boil their water before consumption (e.g., washing hands/face, brushing teeth, drinking, etc.)

The notice, which only applies to TWU customers, comes from a single routine sample site that tested positive for e. coli, followed by a repeat sample at the same site in Central Tyler showing the presence of total coliform, Director of Utilities Kate Dietz said. E. coli was only found in one sample site out of many tested.

“Today, we have taken some follow-up tests, and they have been submitted to the lab. Those tests will be run overnight. There’s about an 18-hour incubation period for these types of tests,” Dietz said during a media briefing Friday afternoon. “We should know by midday (Saturday) if the boil water notice can be rescinded.”

A City of Tyler press release stated people should expect a boil water notice for at least 24 hours. This boil water notice only affects TWU customers, not Southern Utilities Company.

TWU is flushing the water system to move water quickly through the system. TWU is also taking additional samples to ensure sufficient disinfectant levels are present. The Northeast Texas Public Health District Laboratory will test samples from the field after an 18-hour incubation period. If those results are negative, the boil water notice will be rescinded by Saturday.

“This again was likely due to an operator error, sampling error,” Dietz said. “It’s actually very difficult to collect the sample without cross-contamination, which is why sometimes these incidents happen.”

Children, seniors and persons with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to harmful bacteria, and all customers should follow these directions.

To ensure the destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, drinking, cooking and ice-making water should be boiled and cooled before drinking water or human consumption. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes.

In place of boiling, individuals may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source for drinking water. Whenever possible, residents should assist their friends and neighbors in need.

When it is no longer necessary to boil the water, public water system officials will notify customers that it is safe for consumption. Once the boil water notice is no longer in effect, the City of Tyler will issue a statement to customers that rescind the notice like this.

E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Human pathogens in these wastes can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches or other symptoms. They may pose a greater health risk for infants, young children, older people and people with severely compromised immune systems

If you have questions, please call the Water Service Center at 903-531-1285.