NOTICE TO COTUIT RESIDENTS
Please be advised that beginning Tuesday, 12/10/13, the Cotuit Water Department resumed adding small amounts of chlorine to the water supply (.1 to .2 parts per million) due to the detection of total coliform in samples taken on 12/2/13 and 12/4/13. Coliforms are bacteria which are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other potentially-harmful, bacteria may be present. Usually coliforms are a sign that there could be a problem with the treatment of distribution system (pipes). Whenever we detect coliform bacteria in any sample, we do follow-up testing to see if other bacteria of greater concern, such as fecal coliform or E. coli, are present. We did not find any of these bacteria in our subsequent testing. If we had, we would have notified you immediately.
We advise aquarium owners and users of kidney dialysis machines to treat or filter the water before use. Low levels of chlorine and a slight discoloration may be detected in the water. We have been in contact with the Department of Environmental Protection and will continue to investigate the cause of these detections. We will inform you via the District’s website (cotuitfiredistrict.org.) of any new information.
Thank you.
Cotuit Water Department