Lake Helen Issues Mandatory Citywide Boil-Water Notice After Well No. 2 E. Coli Indicator Result
A mandatory boil-water notice took effect at 5 p.m. Saturday for all City of Lake Helen residents. The later citywide order supersedes inconsistent instructions in an earlier city notice.
LAKE HELEN, Fla. — The City of Lake Helen placed all residents under a mandatory boil-water notice effective at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, after an assessment sample collected from municipal Well No. 2 tested positive for fecal-indicator E. coli.
The city’s latest public update states that the notice applies citywide and that further information will be posted as it becomes available. As of publication, officials had not announced when the notice would be lifted.
Later update imposes mandatory citywide notice
An earlier detailed notice included inconsistent instructions: it described the water-quality finding but also said customers did not need to boil their water. The city’s later 5 p.m. update clearly imposed a mandatory boil-water notice for all residents.
Residents should follow the newer citywide directive unless and until Lake Helen officials announce that it has been lifted.
Well No. 2 taken offline
According to the city’s detailed notice, officials learned Sept. 12 that a September assessment sample from Well No. 2 was E. coli-positive. The well was taken offline and will remain offline until follow-up sampling shows it is free of contamination.
The city said additional well and distribution-system samples collected on the same date returned results absent of bacteria. Follow-up samples are being collected to determine the extent of the issue, and officials said they will release the resampling results when received.
A fecal-indicator result can signal possible contamination by human or animal waste, but it does not by itself confirm that a disease-causing strain of E. coli is present in the water. Germs associated with fecal contamination can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches and other symptoms. Infants, young children, some older adults and people with severely weakened immune systems may face increased risk.
What residents should do
While the notice remains active, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises residents to use commercially bottled water or bring tap water to a full rolling boil for one minute, then allow it to cool before use.
- Use bottled or boiled water for drinking and cooking.
- Use bottled or boiled water to prepare food, baby formula and ice.
- Use bottled or boiled water for brushing teeth.
- Boil tap water even if it has passed through a home filter.
Residents should continue monitoring the City of Lake Helen’s official channels for additional or revised instructions.
Questions may be directed to US Water Services at 866-753-8292. The EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline is available at 1-800-426-4791.
Sources: City of Lake Helen mandatory notice; City of Lake Helen detailed notice; CDC emergency water guidance.
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