Do Not Drink Order Lifted In Harwich

HARWICH, MA — Residents of the North Harwich area of Cape Cod have no more firefighting foam in their water, officials said on Thursday afternoon.

This comes after a do not drink order was issued this week, forcing residents to rely on bottled water after firefighting foam accidentally got into the water supply.

The Massachusetts Department of Environment Protection gave the town approval to lift the order as of 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Here's what residents should know now, according to officials:

"Although there has been no detection of Foam in the samples taken, residents may experience discoloration due to flushing operations. Residents who experience discolored water are encouraged to flush their home plumbing system by running all interior & exterior cold water taps simultaneously for approximately 10 minutes. Once completed, hot water fixtures should be run until the water runs cold ensuring a full flushing of the home’s hot water tank. Homes with tankless water heaters should run all hot water fixtures simultaneously for 10 minutes."

Harwich Fire Department officials shared on Wednesday that foam was used during a Tuesday building fire in Dennis.

On Wednesday, town officials received multiple calls from North Harwich residents reporting bubbles or foam in their drinking water in the Great Western Road area, where the fire happened the previous night.

The water department began flushing the hydrant soon after and found what appeared to be foam. This prompted the order, and officials said an "extensive flushing of the water distribution system in the impacted area" was completed by about 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

The affected area was "Depot St from the Dennis town line north to the Brewster town line and Main Street from Queen Anne Rd west to the Dennis town line," officials said.