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E. Coli Found in Lindon Water Supply


July 17, 2013


This past June the city of Lindon announced that the bacteria E. Coli had been found in the city’s water system. The discovery was made during a routine monthly test of the water and the city quickly issued a boil order for all culinary water in the city. The bacteria was found to be present in the water supply on Friday June 28 and the boil order was not officially lifted until Sunday the 30th until the system had been decontaminated. This made for a long weekend for the residents of Lindon.

City residents were advised to boil all culinary water for at least one minute before consumption to ensure that the bacteria was killed. Even after the bacteria had been cleared out of the system, residents who hadn’t been running their taps for 24 hours or more were advised to let water run through the tap for at least two minutes before using the water. This alert created some headaches for many local businesses, many of which had to slow operations and lose some revenue due to the mandatory boil order. When a water supply becomes contaminated, you suddenly become aware of how often you use water and how easy it is to take clean tap water for granted.

The city has been looking into the exact source of the contamination, but no word yet. The city of Lindon gets most of its water from four wells and springs in Dry Canyon, but it is unclear if the water sources caused the contamination. The quick response of the city to alert residents of the contamination seemed to have been effective since there were no reported cases of E. Coli related illnesses. The timely response of the Lindon Public Works crew to disinfect and flush the water system and restore clean water over the weekend significantly reduced the likelihood of illness and the detrimental effects on local businesses. Thankfully the ordeal was resolved quickly, but this case illustrates the importance of regular water testing.