Two rural communities in southeast Oklahoma are under a boil order after the Department of Environmental Quality found unsafe drinking water.
The DEQ issued the order for the Clarita Olney PWS located in Coal County. The Public Water Supply is asked to inform users of its drinking water to use water that has been brought to a full, rolling boil for at least one minute, bottled water, or water from another acceptable source for consumption, use in food preparation, dishwashing and brushing teeth. This order was issued due to E. coli in the drinking water.
Users will be notified when the water is considered safe for human consumption. Federal law requires that consumers be notified when a public water supply exceeds certain maximum contaminant levels and might be harmful to the health of consumers.
Clarita and Olney are two unincorporated communities located south of the city of Coalgate.
E. coli is usually associated with the discovery of human or animal waste in the water. It is a fecal coliform bacterium used to measure water safety. A level of zero per 100 mL of water is considered safe. It poses a serious health risk and when found, residents are told to stop using their water for drinking, food preparation, or brushing teeth. They can use boiled water or bottled water as a replacement.
Private wells are highly susceptible to contamination after flooding or heavy rainfall. But often, the discovery of E. coli indicates sewage contamination or animal waste runoff and is often caused by heavy rain or broken pipes.
