West Concord residents advised to boil drinking water

West Concord residents were advised earlier this week to boil their water due to a loss of pressure in the city’s water system.
In an advisory issued Sunday, the city told residents that they should boil water before drinking or food preparation as a precaution after the city water system had a loss of pressure. The advisory said that the loss of pressure in the water system was due to a mechanical failure. A loss of pressure, the advisory said, meant that contamination could have entered the drinking water distribution system increasing the chance that the drinking water could contain bacteria that could make individuals sick. The pressure, the advisory said, had been restored.
According to the West Concord Mayor’s Facebook page, it was expected the alert would last for several days due to the holiday for the independent lab to complete analysis along with the state of samples the city needed to provide, Mayor Jeffrey McCool said.
He said that it is unlikely that there is anything wrong with the water but the alert was placed out of caution. He added that “the state debated for some time before they had us issue it because of the remote chance something entered our supply. An all clear will be given once the boil alert is off.”
While the alert is active, West Concord residents are advised to not drink, brush teeth, or cook with tap water without boiling it first. The advisory said:
Bring all water to a rolling boil for one minute.
Let water cool before drinking.
Use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, bushing teeth, and food preparation until further notice.
Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in water.
After the advisory is lifted, it is recommended consumers flush their plumbing system.