2016 November – Toomelah (New South Wales) – E.coli

11 November 2016 Toomelah (New South Wales)

Updated: Boil Water Alert: E.coli bacteria contamination

E.coli bacteria have been found in the Toomelah drinking water supply in regular monitoring by Moree Plains Shire Council.

E.coli itself is generally not harmful, but its presence in drinking water is associated with sewage and animals. These bacteria indicate that the water may be contaminated with organisms that may cause gut illness.

As a precaution you are advised that water used for drinking or food preparation should be brought to a rolling boil. Water should then be allowed to cool and stored in a clean container with a lid and refrigera

“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