PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A boil-water order has been issued to 25,000 customers of the Kent County Water Authority after tests found that a storage tank was contaminated with E. coli bacteria.
The Providence Journal reports that water authority customers in Cranston, Coventry, Warwick, West Warwick, East Greenwich and some in North Kingstown and West Greenwich should boil their water vigorously for at least one minute before drinking it, cooking with it or brushing their teeth with it.
Timothy Brown, the authority's general manager and chief engineer, said it's the first time in more than 25 years that the water authority has had an E. coli contamination in the drinking water supply.
He says customers also are advised to not bathe infants and young children in the water, because they may swallow some.