Boil Water Order in Effect for Town of Canton

The Town of Canton is under a boil water order tonight. Residents must boil their tap water prior to consuming.

The town received notification at 3:45 p.m. today that e.coli bacteria was found in a water sample during a routine collection on Cedar Street. The state's issued the boil water order.

The town notified residents and businesses using the reverse 911 system, along with alerting local radio and television stations and local media.

"The boil water order requires the boiling of all water prior to human consumption," Town Administrator Bill Friel told the Board of Selectmen tonight. Folks must boil their water for one minute and then let it cool for one minute prior to drinking, Friel said.

Friel said the town is following specific state requirements to correct the issue, but the boil water order is expected to last at least 48 hours.

The town's Water Department is working with the MWRA and the DEP to find the cause of the contamination and resolve the issue.

The MWRA is adding chlorine to the water and flushing the water in response to the contamination, according to Marcis Kempe, director of operations support for the MWRA.

Kempe said at this time, the source of the contamination is not known.