DENVER — The City of Englewood issued a boil water advisory for a portion of the city Wednesday afternoon after a sample collected at a site was found to contain E. coli.
The boil water advisory applies to people in Zone 1 of the city’s water system, which affects approximately 25,000 residents and 211 businesses. You can find out of you are in that zone by clicking here. People are advised to boil their water until further notice.
An emergency alert was sent to people with cell phones in the area, but Aurora Water said Aurora residents were mistakenly included in the emergency notification and there was no boil order there.
Denver Water also said that water for all of its customers is safe.
Water deliveries from Denver Water are safe. We are aware of the boil water order from Englewood. If you are a Denver Water customer, your water is not affected by the boil water order.
— Denver Water 💦 (@DenverWater) August 4, 2021
Englewood said the alert was only supposed to go to people in Zone 1 and that they are working to find out why it went to people outside of the particular area.
The city said it collected water samples from 24 sites across the water system Tuesday and Wednesday and that one site contained the presence of E. coli.
People in Zone 1 should boil their water for at least three minutes before drinking it, using it for brushing their teeth, cooking or washing dishes.
Swedish Medical Center provided a statement saying it "immediately opened incident command to actively monitor the situation and ensure that patient care is not disrupted." It's working with city officials and the center's infection team to ensure patient care and the work environment are not impacted.
E. coli can cause symptoms including diarrhea, cramps, nausea, and headaches and poses greater risks for infants and children, older Coloradans, and immunocompromised people.
Englewood said it is working with the Tri-County Health Department and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and flushing the water lines in Zone 1 to determine the cause of the contamination.
The city has set up water distribution at the Englewood Civic Center at 1000 Englewood Parkway, where people can get water Thursday. It has also set up a call center at 303-762-2365 to answer people’s questions.
The city says it will tell people when tests show the bacteria is clear and the boil order can be lifted. It hopes to have the issue resolved “within 48-72 hours,” according to a news release.