Boil water advisory issued for Fort Sumner water systems
May 10—Fort Sumner residents who get their water from the town's water system are being asked to boil that water.
A boil water advisory is required for the Fort Sumner municipal water system along with customers of Valley MDWCA in De Baca County according to a news release from the New Mexico Environment Department's Drinking Water Bureau.
The department required the advisory to be issued Tuesday after E. coli, a bacteria, was detected in source water samples collected from the water system's McMillian Well.
The advisory was required to be extended to the Valley MDWCA as 100% of their drinking water comes from the Fort Sumner Municipal Water System.
The Fort Sumner municipal water system is a community public water system that serves approximately 1,911 users, Valley MDWCA water system is a community public water system that serves approximately 556 users, according to the Environment Department's news release.
The advisory applies only to the drinking water from the Fort Sumner Municipal Water System and Valley MDWCA and does not extend to any other surrounding water systems.
Users are advised to boil water for three minutes before:
— Drinking
— Making coffee, tea and other drinks
— Making ice
— Cooking
— Washing fruits and vegetables
— Using the water to feed a baby
— Brushing teeth
— Providing as drinking water for pets
The presence of E. coli in water indicates that the water may have been in contact with sewage or animal wastes and could contain disease-causing organisms.
Most strains of E. coli are harmless and live in the intestines of healthy humans and animals. However, a positive test for E. coli in the drinking water supply may indicate the presence of dangerous strains of E. coli or other disease-causing organisms, according to the news release.
These types of organisms may cause severe gastrointestinal illness and, in rare cases, death. Children, the elderly and immuno-compromised individuals are at an increased risk for illness.
The Drinking Water Bureau will provide compliance oversight and offer technical assistance to the water system and require the Fort Sumner Municipal Water System to continue to test the water until no further threat of contamination remains.
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