ANDREWS, Texas —
The City of Andrews announced Monday that one of the nineteen wells that provides the city’s water supply tested positive for E. coli bacteria.
After the positive test, the well was taken offline and will not be placed back online until a laboratory says it can be.
Water samples were taken throughout the city and no others showed signs of the bacteria.
The city included the following information as mandatory language from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality:
WHAT SHOULD I DO? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Fecal indicators are microbes whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term health effects, such as 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.
The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice from their health care providers about drinking this water.
The city said they anticipate the problem to be resolved within 48 hours.