UPDATE: Boil-Water Order Lifted For Long Beach

UPDATE, 11:30 A.M. Monday: The boil-water order has been lifted for the City of Long Beach.

Officials said that the city's water department spent the weekend flushing the system and increasing the chlorine levels in the water. All samples taken came back negative for E. coli.

Before using any water, residents should run all of their taps on full for at least five minutes.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he directed Dr. Howard Zucker, the commissioner of the State Department of Health, to investigate the source of the E. coli contamination and come up with ways to make sure it doesn't happen again.

UPDATE, 9 A.M. Monday: The boil-water order is still in effect for Long Beach.

Officials are still working to clear the contamination from the water, but have not yet declared the water safe for drinking.

Gov. Cuomo also directed the state to offer more assistance, and to send more water bottles to the city.

"With the boil water notice on Long Beach still in effect and with the influx of people to the area to celebrate Pride earlier today, I directed State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker to send in a team to work with Nassau County and the City of Long Beach to find the source of contamination and directed the State Office of Emergency Management to deliver an additional 85,000 bottles of water to the area," Cuomo said. "Our number one priority is the health and safety of New Yorkers, and we will provide clean drinking water to the people of Long Beach and continue working hand-in-glove with local leaders to provide whatever resources are needed until this situation is fully resolved."

As a reminder, residents can pick up bottled water at East School, Kennedy Plaza and the Long Beach Catholic Regional School.

UPDATE, 2:30 P.M.: At a press conference this afternoon, local officials stressed that they are taking the detection of E. coli in Long Beach's water very seriously and are working to eliminate it as quickly as possible.

To help residents, the county has set up a call center. Residents can call 516-227-9570 with any questions.

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said that the state has provided 30,000 bottles of water, which are currently being sent to Long Beach. The county's Office of Emergency Management is also sending 21,000 bottles of water.

Bottled water will be distributed at East School, Kennedy Plaza and the Long Beach Catholic Regional School.

Long Beach residents are lining up to get bottled water after strains of E. coli were detected in the city’s water supply. A boil-water order has been issued. @FiOS1News_LI pic.twitter.com/DpjEUobZjp
— Chelsea Irizarry TV (@Chel_IrizarryTV) June" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/Chel_Iriza... 21, 2019

In response, officials said the City of Long Beach is increasing the chlorine in the water to kill the bacteria and are flushing out the system. The boil-water order will remain in effect until all water samples test negative for E. coli, but officials couldn't say when that would be.

Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein, the commissioner of the county Department of Health, said that no Long Beach residents have been identified as being infected with E. coli yet. And if everyone takes measures to protect themselves, he doesn't think there will be any cases.

The county and the city are working with local restaurants to make sure they know about the boil-water order and are in compliance with the safety precautions, officials said. City workers are heading to all of the restaurants in town to give them hard copies of the order.

Officials also stressed that the communities next to Long Beach — Atlantic Beach and Lido Beach — are perfectly safe, and the water there is usable as normal.

"[Hempstead] Town residents should rest assured that the City of Long Beach and Lido Beach/ Point Lookout water supplies are closed off from each other so no contamination can be transferred from Long Beach to the water received in the Lido Beach/ Point Lookout Water District," town officials said in a statement. "If you have any concerns, please contact the Town of Hempstead Water Department’s 24-hour emergency line at 516-794-8181."

Eisenstein said they don't yet know why there was E. coli in the water.

Health officials said the water is safe for some purposes. Residents can shower with it, so long as none goes in their mouths. It's also safe for hand washing if you're not about to prepare food, and can be used for cooking if it's going to be boiled, like for pasta.

With the Pride on the Beach festival coming to the city this weekend, and thousands of people along with it, it's also important that those coming into the city know to bring bottled water with them, Curran said.

County Legislator Denise Ford, who represents the area, urged residents to check on their neighbors and make sure everyone is aware of the boil-water order.

"Lets all be good neighbors and lets all watch out for one another," she said.

UPDATE, 2 P.M.: The city released more information about the detection of E. coli in the water supply.

According to the City of Long Beach, routine water testing at a sampling station near Grand Boulevard and West Chester Street tested positive for coliforms, which is an indicator of E. coli bacteria.

Because of that, samples were taken from two homes: one on Grand Boulevard and one on West Chester Street. The Grand Boulevard home tested positive for E. coli, while the West Chester Street home tested positive for coliforms, but negative for E. coli.

The city said it has not received any information to suggest that there is any threat to health outside of the area of Grand Boulevard and West Chester Street, but the boil-water order still stands.

The city is working with the Nassau County Department of Health to see if there is any further contamination.

ORIGINAL STORY: E. coli has been found in the water of the City of Long Beach, Nassau County officials announced on Friday.

A boil-water order has been issued for the city. Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein will be providing more information Friday afternoon.

Water needs to be boiled for at least one minute. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth and preparing food until the boil-water order is lifted.

According to the New York State Department of Health, E. coli bacteria can produce toxins that can make people very sick. The most common symptoms of E. coli infection are diarrhea and vomiting. People can become infected by E. coli by eating food or drinking water contaminated by the bacteria.

The Department of Health also says that Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a rare but serious disease that can occur as a complication of an E. coli infection. The disease can cause kidney damage and failure, and affect blood clotting functions. It most often occurs in children 5 and younger.