Portland, Oregon is Under Warning After Detection of E. Coli in Water Supply

According to Portland city officials, an alert has been issued to residents of the Oregon city due to a confirmed presence of E. coli in the tap water. Residents are told to boil water and ice it for one minute before using it for drinking or preparing food.

Escherichia coli is a large and diverse group of bacteria that can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness, pneumonia and other illnesses. Recently, meats and raw clover sprouts at retailers and restaurants were found to be contaminated with E. coli, but the latest incident is with the Portland, Oregon water supply.

On Friday the Portland Water Bureau announced that the city's 670,000 residents should be aware of the E. coli contaminated water supply. Three samples of water from reservoirs at Mount Tabor tested positive for the bacteria. The city's Water Bureau collects 240 bacterial samples per month and the test to determine a contamination takes 18 hours. Any unboiled water used for ice or beverages since Tuesday should be dumped, according to the city.

"While we believe at this time that the potential health risk is relatively small, we take any contamination seriously and are taking every precaution to protect public health," said Portland Water Bureau Administrator David Shaff a news release.

The tests showed signs of fecal matter and the current Portland Water Bureau customers have been issued the warning: Burlington Water District, City of Gresham, Lake Grove Water District, Lorna Portland Water, Palatine Hill Water District, Rockwood Water District, Tigard Water Service Area, Valley View Water District, and West Slope Water District.

Officials reported that such a contamination can occur when there is a loss of water pressure, if a pipe breaks, or if the drinking water is somehow otherwise exposed to outside elements. The Portland Water Bureau is still investigating the cause of the contamination, but it's possible that it might not be identified.

The city faced a similar issue last month when it was forced to dump over 35 million gallons of water after a teenager allegedly urinated in a reservoir at Mount Tabor. The "boil notice" for the E. coli contamination will remain in effect until the water bureau can produce a clean sample through testing.