The Rhinelander Daily News - Online news and information for the Rhinelander, Wisconsin region

The Rhinelander Water Utility has issued a "boil water" advisory after a state lab found a high level of coliform bacteria from a July 26 water sample of city water supplies.

In addition to issuing the advisory, the water utility is taking other steps.

"We are chlorinating and flushing the water system," said John Zatopa, water and wastewater utility superintendent. "We are increasing sampling for coliform bacteria to determine the source of contamination."

However, they have not found any potentially harmful bacteria such as fecal coliform or E.coli (Escherichia coli) in follow-up samples.

Total coliform bacteria are generally not harmful themselves, according to the utility. Coliforms are bacteria that are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially harmful bacteria may be present.

However E.coli and fecal coliform bacteria are different matters if they get into the bloodstreams of humans. One particular strain of E.coli - O157:H7 - causes an estimated 73,000 cases of infection and about 60 deaths occur in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Most illnesses have been associated with eating undercooked, contaminated ground beef. Infection can also occur through drinking sewage-contaminated water.

The advisory went into effect Thursday afternoon after test results came back. City phones have been flooded with hundreds of calls from citizens asking about the advisory, Zatopa said.

"We take water samples on a weekly basis," said Zatopa. The samples are sent to the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene, which then sends the results to the state Department of Natural Resources' northern region office. If the samples fail, then the utility is notified.

The last time the city has had to issue a boil water advisory was 30 years ago, Zatopa said.

Although they are taking all precautions, Zatopa said, he believes the state lab may have had a "false positive" through an error made at the lab.

He said that since the state cut funding to the state lab, it has been overworked and errors have been made. "We are confident that it was a lab error," he said.

The city utility took another sample yesterday and hand-delivered it to the Northern Lakes Lab in Crandon. Results should be back this afternoon. Another sample is being taken today and results will come back tomorrow. Two consecutive samples of safe water are needed before they can lift the boil advisory. If that happens, news of that will be released to local media on Saturday, he said.

Until the system passes muster, water utility customers should follow several precautions.

"You should use boiled or bottled water until we inform you that our sampling shows that no bacteria are present," the utility release said.

Ice, food and any beverage prepared with unsafe water must be discarded. Customers should boil or use commercially prepared water for drinking, food preparation and making ice. If you boil water, the water should be heated to a rolling boil for at least five minutes before use. Ice should be made from boiled or bottled water. Bottled water or boiled water should be used for brushing teeth.

Zatopa said city water is safe for personal bathing, washing dishes, clothes, pets, etc. Restaurants have tossed out ice made with city water, he said.

A number of Rhinelander area businesses carry bottled water and supplies should be plentiful.

"We won't run out," said Steve Heise, store director at Trig's Food/Drug in Rhinelander. "We have a semi sitting at the store and two more coming."

Zatopa said he's heard that other stores are bringing in semi-truck loads of bottled water.

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