YARMOUTH – From Yarmouth Water Department: DRINKING WATER NOTICE
To all users of the Yarmouth Water System located in Yarmouth, Massachusetts
This is an important notice – please translate it for anyone who does not understand English.
THIS IS NOT AN EMERGENCY. Our water system routinely monitors for the presence of drinking water contaminants to ensure the safety of the water supply. On December 20, 2025, our water system was notified that a water sample collected on December 19, 2025 from Well No. 6 located at 373 North Main Street tested positive for enterococci, which is a fecal indicator. Fecal indicators are used to detect ground water sources that may be susceptible to fecal contamination which may contain harmful viruses or bacteria. Well No. 6 is one of 24 wells that supplies drinking water to our system. When we learned of the enterococci positive sample, we turned the well off. The sample that was positive for enterococci was a raw water sample. None of the other raw water or treated water samples collected on December 19 tested positive for fecal indicators. Only the untreated sample from Well No. 6 tested positive. Even though none of the treated samples tested positive, the Ground Water Rule (GWR) requires us to notify you while we collect more samples, wait for the results, and inspect our water system to determine if a risk of fecal contamination exists.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
You do not need to boil your water but you should discard all ice, beverages, formula and uncooked food products made with tap water collected on or before December 19, 2025. Enterococci is a fecal indicator and it was detected in the well water for your system. Even though the well with the fecal indicator is no longer in use, the USEPA requires us to provide you with this Notice and the following information on fecal indicators. “Fecal indicators are microbes whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.” These symptoms can also be caused by issues unrelated to drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, or, if you have specific health concerns, you may want to discuss such concerns with your doctor. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available by emailing the EPA at [email protected].
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT IS BEING DONE?
While we continue to evaluate the situation and wait for the results of additional sampling to determine if a risk of contamination exists, we are doing the following:
• Well No. 6 was removed from service as a precautionary measure and will not be placed back in service until approved by MassDEP.
• Investigating the source of the raw water contamination and remove it.
• We are in contact with MassDEP who is evaluating the actions we are taking to ensure safe water is being delivered to you. If a risk of contamination exists, you will receive additional notification.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact: Laurie Ruszala, Water & Wastewater Superintendent 508-771-7921
Website address: https://www.yarmouth.ma.us/139/Water
PWSID#: 43510000 Date Distributed: December 21, 2025
