SOUTH KINGSTOWN (WPRI) — As the boil water advisory continues in parts of South County, the Rhode Island Health Department said test results taken Thursday from the affected water systems have come back clean.
About 38,000 water customers in parts of Narragansett and South Kingstown remain under a boil water advisory, a week after the bacteria was detected in five public water systems.
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In order to lift the boil water advisory, the health department said the water systems have to test negative for coliform bacteria for three days in a row.
The first samples were collected and tested Wednesday afternoon and the results were posted to the health department’s website:
- Suez Water – absent coliform bacteria, including E. coli
- South Kingstown-South Shore – absent coliform bacteria, including E. coli
- South Kingstown-Middlebridge – absent coliform bacteria, including E. coli
- Narragansett-Point Judith – absent coliform bacteria, including E. coli
- Narragansett-North End – absent E. Coli, but coliform bacteria was present
Due to the water system’s test results, boil water advisory for Narragansett-North End has been extended by one day due to the presence of coliform bacteria.
The health department said since all of the water systems are being tested separately, the boil water advisory does not extend for all of the water systems. But if the Suez Water system’s test results come back positive for bacteria, it would impact all of the other water systems.
The health department also released the test results from Thursday:
- Suez Water – absent coliform bacteria, including E. coli
- South Kingstown-South Shore – results still pending
- South Kingstown-Middlebridge – absent coliform bacteria, including E. coli
- Narragansett-Point Judith – absent coliform bacteria, including E. coli
- Narragansett-North End – absent coliform bacteria, including E. coli
Residents living in the affected counties have had to rely on bottled or boiled water since Aug. 31. A water filling station is located at West Kingston Park on Kingstown Road where residents can fill bottled water from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The source of the contamination remains under investigation by the health department.
