PORTLAND - The Portland Water Bureau says the order to boil drinking water for customers west of the Willamette River because of E. coli bacteria has been lifted.
The boil water order was issued Saturday after it was discovered that the Southwest Portland reservoir was contaminated with E. coli. Officials were recommending that water be boiled for at least a minute.
But the order was lifted Sunday after further water samples showed no presence of bacterial contamination.
Officials say all residents and businesses should flush taps for two minutes until water runs cold before drinking.
The Water Bureau provided this link to a map of the afffected area.
All tap water had to be boiled at full roil for at least a minute. Any stored water or ice should have been tossed.
The caution was caused by presence of E. Coli in Reservoir 3 at Washington Park. The E. Coli likely came from human or animal waste, said Multnomah County Health Officer Dr. Gary Oxman.
No illnesses have been reported so far at hospital or clinics, Oxman said, but the diagnosis process "will play out over a period of several days."
For more information, contact Portland Water Bureau at 503-823-7770.
