Portland residents ordered to boil water after E. coli contamination

Officials in Portland, Oregon, issued a citywide boil notice Friday after state health officials detected E. coli, a bacteria found in fecal matter, in the public water supply. The notice sent Oregonians scrambling to stores to buy bottled water to complete daily tasks like tooth brushing and dish washing.

Any ice or beverages prepared with unboiled tap water on or after Tuesday should be dumped, officials said. According to The Oregonian, a local paper, the order affects 670,000 people in the Portland area.

The local Water Bureau is investigating the cause of the contamination.

The Portland Water Bureau said residents should boil all tap water used for drinking, food preparation, tooth brushing and ice for at least one minute.

“In three separate incidents from May 20 to May 23, repeat water samples confirmed the presence of total coliform and E. coli in routine drinking water samples,” the statement reads. The water samples that tested positive for bacteria were collected from two reservoirs at Mount Tabor.

Tri-County Health Officer Dr. Paul Lewis said the E. coli is unlikely to cause significant health problems.

“The chance of any health problems related to this water test result is low. If any problems occur, we would expect diarrhea,” Lewis said in a release announcing the boil order.

“We monitor cases of bacterial diarrhea and will be aware of any increase following this event.”

Al Jazeera and The Associated Press