YARMOUTH – The Town of Yarmouth’s Water Department issued a notice saying that it failed to meet reporting and other requirements last summer related to the detection of coliform bacteria contamination of the water system.
Town officials said that there is no threat to public health due to the contamination and no boil order has been issued.
But the failure to report the detection properly or within the proper timelines triggered a number of further reporting violations and assessments by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Southeast Regional Office.
The town said that coliform bacteria is not generally harmful and there is no emergency.
If there was, residents would have been notified within 24 hours.
Awareness of the failure occurred in July of last year, and required Level 1 Assessment for the MassDEP was completed and submitted in late January by the town water department.
“We did not identify any issues in our treatment process or within our distribution system. We took corrective actions in the form of procedural improvements to ensure that proper testing and reporting is conducted for all future sampling. We appreciate your understanding as we continue to work to improve our water system operations,” said officials in the notice.
The full statement from the Town of Yarmouth can be found below:
During routine monitoring for July 2021, our water system tested positive for total coliforms at two different locations, on separate sampling dates.
We collected repeat samples as required, but for one of the locations, the repeat samples were analyzed for enterococci with absent results. However, the samples should have been analyzed for total coliform bacteria. We were not aware of the error at the time.
This error resulted in a Revised Total Coliform Rule (RTCR) Treatment Technique Trigger (TTT), which required a Level 1 assessment be performed. We failed to notify the state drinking water program (MassDEP) of the TTT within the required timeframe which is a reporting violation. We failed to complete the assessment by August 4, 2021, which constituted a Treatment Technique Violation (TTV). We failed to notify MassDEP of the TTV within the required time frame, which is another reporting violation. In addition, we failed to provide public notice within the required timeframe.
Coliforms are bacteria that are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially harmful, waterborne pathogens may be present or that a potential pathway exists through which contamination may enter the drinking water distribution system. We found coliforms indicating the need to look for potential problems in water treatment or distribution.
When this occurs, we are required to conduct assessments to identify problems and to correct any problems that are found. We failed to conduct the required assessment within the required timeframe.
During routine monitoring for August 2021, our water system tested positive for total coliform and E. coli at one location. Required repeat samples were collected and were absent. There was no E. coli Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) violation.
However, our system failed to notify MassDEP that we detected E. coli bacteria in a water sample. We are required to notify the MassDEP of this information the same day we learn of the situation, but we failed to do so. This is a reporting violation.
As our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we did to correct this situation.
What should I do?
- You do not need to boil your water or take other corrective actions. However, if you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor.
- If you have a severely compromised immune system, are pregnant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your healthcare provider about drinking this water. You should also seek advice from your healthcare provider about using the water if you have an infant. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by bacteria and other disease-causing organisms are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
What does this mean?
Since total coliform bacteria are generally not harmful themselves, this is not an emergency. If it had been you would have been notified within 24 hours.
Failure to identify and correct the defects has the potential to cause continued distribution system contamination. Inadequately treated or inadequately protected water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, cramps, and associated headaches.
What happened and what was done?
Upon awareness of the situation for July, we completed and submitted the required Level 1 Assessment to MassDEP SERO; the assessment was emailed to MassDEP SERO on January 25, 2022, and hardcopy was also mailed. We did not identify any issues in our treatment process or within our distribution system. We took corrective actions in the form of procedural improvements to ensure that proper testing and reporting is conducted for all future sampling. We appreciate your understanding as we continue to work to improve our water system operations. We are dedicated to fulfilling all regulatory requirements and providing better service to our community.
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