Customers of the Prudence Island Water District no longer need to follow a boil-water notice issued in October 2018, after the system installed permanent chlorination and demonstrated two months of safe operation.
The Rhode Island Department of Health announced Oct. 6 that the notice could be lifted. It had been issued Oct. 5, 2018, after E. coli bacteria was found in the supply.
The new treatment systems began operating Aug. 4. The department said they maintained required chlorine levels at treatment plants and throughout the water supply network, while routine samples showed no total coliform or E. coli.
Technical complexity and changes in funding sources delayed the work, the department said. The upgrades were ultimately funded through a state loan whose principal, the amount borrowed, does not have to be repaid, arranged with Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank.
The announcement applies to water district customers. Residents should consult the notice from their water supplier for steps to take after the advisory, rather than assume it covers a private well or another system.
District customers with questions can call 401-683-0011.