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Boil Water Advisory Continues in Woodburn

By Nicole Hahn
By Scott Sarvay
By Max Resnik
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September 4, 2012 Updated Sep 4, 2012 at 3:48 PM EDT

WOODBURN, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter) - Woodburn Mayor Richard Hoeppner (D) says a boil advisory, in effect since Friday, could be lifted Thursday.

Residents are asked to boil their water for at least five minutes before consumption. Officials say some sample tests came back positive for Coliform. Coliform bacteria will not likely cause illness. However, their presence in drinking water indicates that disease-causing organisms (pathogens) could be in the water system. Officials took five more samples to be tested and all of them also tested positive for Coliform.

City officials have contacted the Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency. Officials with both agencies are in Woodburn trying to help locate the source of the problem.

Hoeppner says waterworks crews were in the process of cleaning a screen at a well near Woodlan High School last week when bacteria entered the water stream. He says they were cleaning the screen because only half the amount of water needed for Woodburn was being pumped into the city.

He also says residents have been hesitant to turn on their faucets, which has prevented the flow of water and could lead to increased contamination. In an effort to keep water flowing, Hoeppner says fire hydrants have been opened.

“Since it came out there from Woodlan and clear through the city, they've got hydrants that they've been flushing out to keep water moving and hopefully we'll be clear by Thursday.”

Hoeppner says samples of water will be tested in Fort Wayne on Wednesday, and if the water shows no signs of contamination, the advisory should be lifted Thursday.



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