Morenci, MI – The City of Morenci’s Department of Public Works (DPW) will be conducting a system flush of the southeast part of the city. You may exhibit rusty water during this flush. The positive sample came from a water line break in the Skyline Industrial Park.
E.coli bacteria were found in the water supply on January 7th, 2021. In a post on the City’s Facebook page Thursday evening, they said that these bacteria can make you sick and are of particular concern for people with weakened immune systems. The City of Morenci is conducting additional sampling to determine the extent of the problem and a thorough investigation to determine the source of the contamination.
DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using it. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. You may also use bottled water. Use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, preparing food, and washing dishes until further notice.
Coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Human pathogens in these wastes can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a greater health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely-compromised immune systems.
The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. If you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice about drinking water from your health care providers.
The system is being intensively sampled, the chlorine has been increased and finally the system is being flushed to remove any possible contamination. The city said in the Thursday statement on social media that they will inform residents when tests show no bacteria and you no longer need to boil your water. Morenci anticipates resolving the problem by January 10th.
For more information, contact Michael Sessions of the City of Morenci at 517-458-6828 or michael.sessions@cityofmorenci.org. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1(800) 426-4791.
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*Information in post from the City of Morenci Facebook page*