The District of Houston has passed the first hurdle to having its boil water notice lifted.
A first of two tests met water quality standards, the District reported this morning, calling it a “positive development for this matter”.
Under a testing protocol required by the Northern Health Authority, two tests conducted a minimum of 24 hours apart must be absent for Coliform bacteria and E. coli for a notice to be lifted.
“The District is now expecting the second test result to be in tomorrow, which will be used to inform the Medical Health Officer’s decision to amend or rescind the notice,” the District said.
“This means the boil water notice will remain in place for at least one more day than expected. The District will also be reviewing preventative measures with Northern Health to mitigate the risk of a future occurrence.”
The notice was first issued Tuesday after a routine test showed a high level of coliform.
District chief administrative officer Gerald Pinchbeck said the District believes the high count resulted from a water turnover issue in the reservoir, called Reservoir 2, as that was the only location in which test results were outside of drinking water standards.
District of Houston crews then drained, re-chlorinated and refilled the water reservoir.
Until the notice is lifted, residents using municipal tap water for consumption or food preparation, should ensure that water is brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute then left to cool prior to use.
“Bottled water or water sourced from a U-Fill station equipped with appropriate UV Light Treatment Equipment may also be used as a safe alternative source,” the District added.
The District thanked residents for their patience.