The Marion Water Division's September test results showed the presence of coliform bacteria, according to an Oct. 6 posting on the town's website. Coliform is a bacterial indicator of the sanitary conditions of food and water.

However, the problem has been resolved and there is no emergency.

For more information,  contact Robert Zora, Superintendent, at (508) 748-3540 or 50 Benson Brook Road, P.O. Box 1050, Marion, MA 02738.

This is the original posting from the Marion Water Division:

TOWN OF MARION

PWS #: 4169000

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER

Tests Showed Coliform Bacteria in Marion Water

Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard.  Although this incident was not an emergency, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened and what we did to correct this situation.

We routinely monitor for drinking water contaminants.  We took 22 samples to test for the presence of coliform bacteria during September.  Three of our samples showed the presence of total coliform bacteria.  The standard is that no more than 1 of our monthly samples may do so.

What should I do?

You do not need to boil your water or take other corrective actions.  However, if you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor.

People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at increased risk.  These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.  General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

What does this mean?

This is not an emergency.  If it had been, you would have been notified immediately.  Coliform bacteria are generally not harmful themselves.  Coliforms are bacteria which are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially harmful bacteria may be present.  Coliforms were found in more samples than allowed and this was a warning of potential problems.

Usually, coliforms are a sign that there could be a problem with the system’s treatment or distribution system (pipes).  Whenever we detect coliform bacteria in any sample, we do follow-up testing to see if other bacteria of greater concern, such as fecal coliform or E. coli, are present.  No fecal coliform or e-coli are present.  We did not find any of these bacteria in our subsequent testing, and further testing shows that this problem has been resolved.

What happened?  What was done?

The Water Division, working with our engineers, chlorinated all four water tanks and disinfected the system.  We have also completed a visual inspection of all hatches and vent screens on the four water tanks.  All additional samples taken do not show the presence of coliform bacteria.

For more information, please contact Robert Zora, Superintendent, at (508) 748-3540 or 50 Benson Brook Road, P.O. Box 1050, Marion, MA 02738.

Please share this information with all the people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools and businesses).  You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

This notice is provided by the Marion Water Division, PWS ID #4169000.  Date:  10/06/11