2016 November – Jubullum Village (New South Wales) – E.coli

BOIL WATER ALERT AT JUBULLUM : Issued 21 November 2016
To residents and visitors at Jubullum Village
Recent water testing has revealed the presence of E. coli bacteria in the town water supply, which means that water straight from the taps may be unsafe to drink at the moment.
As a result, Ecoteam is issuing a boil alert for Jubullum Village.
We are hoping that the alert will be lifted before Christmas.
A boil water alert means that tap water should be boiled before you drink it.
Heat tap water to a rolling boil in an electric kettle or on the stove, then let it cool down. Keep a
good supply of boiled water available.
On Tuesday 22nd of November, Aaron and Keith from Ecoteam will be conducting some precautionary measures including adding chlorine to the reservoir and operating the fire hydrants. This work should not cause a discontinuity in the water supply…

“Coliforms are Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped bacteria that are capable of aerobic and facultative anaerobic growth in the presence of bile salts or other surface active agents with similar growth-inhibiting properties. They are found in large numbers in the faeces of humans and other warm-blooded animals, but many species also occur in the environment.

Thermotolerant coliforms are a sub-group of coliforms that are able to grow at 44.5 ± 0.2°C. E. coli is the most common thermotolerant coliform present in faeces and is regarded as the most specific indicator of recent faecal contamination because generally it is not capable of growth in the environment. In contrast, some other thermotolerant coliforms (including strains of Klebsiella, Citrobacter and Enterobacter) are able to grow in the environment and their presence is not necessarily related to faecal contamination. While tests for thermotolerant coliforms can be simpler than for E. coli, E. coli is considered a superior indicator for detecting faecal contamination…” ADWG