California remains under water order after test reveals E. coli

CALIFORNIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A boil order in California remained in effect Tuesday after Missouri's Department of Natural Resources reported a positive test for E. coli in the city's water last Friday.

Rich Green, the mayor of California, say the city conducted its second E. coli test Tuesday; a result Green says should come back in as early as Wednesday morning. If the test results are positive the mayor says there's a possibility the order will end sooner rather than later.

"The earliest that we can be out from underneath this is Thursday, and that assuming that all of our tests and all of the other areas are not positive," said Green.

Currently, California has several sites it tests for E. coli but Green says only one site has tested positive. 

"In the upstream and downstream, there is no contamination whatsoever, but under the regulation of the department of natural resources, we were forced to issue a boiler alert for the entire town," said Green.

The Department of Natural Resources says it'll be testing the water over the next couple of days hoping to bring in two negative results.

In the meantime, Sebastien Clos-Versailles who works for the Department of Natural Resources says the city has been giving out water to daycares and nursing homes and also to residents who need it. 

"They did have a couple of folks that reached out to them directly saying they wouldn't be able to boil the water themselves…and they were able to provide them directly with bottles of water. They have been doing their best to provide their citizens with water until this is over," said Clos-Versailles.

Residents who can't boil their own water can try reaching out to City Hall in California.

The presence of E. coli means the water could have been contaminated with human or animal waste.

Short-term effects of E. coli include diarrhea, cramps, nausea and headache. However, E. coli could cause a much greater risk for people with severely compromised immune systems.

For now, water system users are urged to take the following precautions before drinking water:

• Boil water vigorously for 3 minutes before using
• Prevent using ice from a household automated ice maker
• Disinfect dishes or other food surfaces in tap water for at least one minute in tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented bleach