Scituate residents have been boiling their tap water or buying it bottled since Friday, after a water sample came back positive for E. coli, and the situation has only gotten murkier since then. A follow-up test cleared that specific contaminant but turned up a different bacteria in the system, and as of Saturday, town officials still could not say when the order would be lifted.
The town first warned residents on Friday, October 30, that E. coli might be present in the water supply, after a sample collected the previous Tuesday tested positive, according to CBS News. A boil water order covering everyone on the Scituate water system except Humarock went into effect immediately, per WATD. Residents are being told to boil water for at least a minute before drinking it, or switch to bottled water instead, as reported by the Boston Globe.
Then came a second wrinkle. A follow-up round of samples tested negative for E. coli but came back positive for another type of bacteria, which WATD identified as total coliform. The Globe reports the boil order extends well beyond the kitchen sink, also covering ice making, food preparation, brushing teeth, and washing dishes.
Confusion Over What to Toss From the Fridge
Residents should discard all ice, beverages, uncooked foods, and formula made with tap water collected on or after Tuesday, October 27.
Town officials say they are flushing hydrants throughout Scituate and running repeat water sample tests to track down the source of the contamination, according to Boston 25 News. Officials had hoped the problem could be resolved within three to four days, per WCVB, but as of Saturday the town had not determined when the order would actually be lifted, CBS News reports.
Water Lines Stretch Into Quincy
The scramble for bottled water has sent some residents well outside town limits. One Scituate resident told CBS News that finding bottled water required traveling all the way to Quincy, where supermarket checkout lines were exceptionally long. To ease the pressure, the town handed out free cases of water at the Cole Parkway parking lot Saturday, limited to two cases per household, and plans to do it again Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the same location.
Local businesses have had to improvise too. Mill Wharf, a waterfront restaurant, kept serving customers through the disruption, but staff were told not to use the soda gun, the ice machine, or the tap, the station notes. General manager Nicholas Leeping said he called a manager to round up soda, water, sparkling water, and bottled water to keep the restaurant running. The timing was especially tight because Mill Wharf was hosting a wedding rehearsal dinner during the water disruption, and staff had to discard ice and water that had already been set up for the event.
Not Scituate's First Boil Order, and Not the Region's Only One This Year
This isn't unfamiliar territory for Scituate. The Globe notes the town last issued a boil water order in 2019, during a cross-contamination event involving multiple local towns that lasted about a week. Nearby Norwell dealt with its own E. coli scare in July, when a routine sample collected July 7 tested positive for the bacteria, according to Boston.com. Norwell officials at the time expected that contamination to clear up within 48 hours while they flushed water mains and boosted chlorination.
State guidance from Mass.gov confirms boiling water for at least one minute remains the most effective way to protect against waterborne pathogens like the ones found in Scituate's supply. The agency's guidance also advises that people with weakened immune systems should contact their health care provider if contaminants such as E. coli, Cryptosporidium, or Giardia exceed maximum levels. For now, Scituate residents outside Humarock are stuck boiling water, rationing bottled cases, and waiting for town officials to say when it's finally safe to turn on the tap without a second thought.
