Tests detect drinking water violation

  • Published
  • By 66th Civil Engineering Division
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  The base water system recently had a drinking water standard violation. Although this is not an emergency, as customers, base personnel have a right to know what happened, what personnel should do, and what civil engineers are doing to correct this situation.

The 66th Civil Engineering Division routinely monitors for the presence of drinking water contaminants. In April, officials took 13 samples to test for the presence of coliform bacteria. Two samples, one routine and one repeat, showed the presence of total coliform bacteria. The standard is that no more than 1 sample per month may do so.

What should I do?

Base residents do not need to boil the water or take other corrective actions. However, if personnel have specific health concerns, consult your physician.

People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at increased risk. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the Environmental Protection Agency's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

What does this mean?

This violation does not constitute an emergency. If it had been an emergency residents would have been notified immediately. Coliform bacteria are generally not harmful themselves. Coliforms are bacteria which are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other potentially-harmful bacteria may be present. Coliforms were found in more samples than allowed and this was a warning of potential problems.

Usually, coliforms are a sign that there could be a problem with the treatment or distribution system, such as pipes. When Civil Engineers detect coliform bacteria in a sample, follow-up tests for other bacteria of greater concern, such as fecal coliform or E. coli, are present. No other bacteria were found in subsequent testing. Had any other bacteria been found, Civil Engineering would have notified base personnel immediately. Civil Engineering officials continue to find coliforms in the drinking water.

What happened? What is being done?

Upon notification, the 66th Medical Squadron Bioenvironmental Engineering returned tot he site and let the water run from the faucets. Additionally, the Civil Engineering Waste Water and Drinking Water shop flushed the hydrants surrounding the sampling site to ensure the proper levels of chlorine and water flow. Bioenvironmental Engineering then resampled the water. Coliform bacteria was detected in a next day, additional sample; however the subsequent sample yielded no detection.

For more information, please contact Staff Sgt. Richard Riley at 781-225-6366.

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly. You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.