Village of Blanchardville Under Boil Advisory

The village of Blanchardville has issued a boil advisory after E. coli bacteria was found in a routine water sample. The advisory states the bacteria was detected in a water sample collected Tuesday. The village states residents who get water through the village water system should not use it for drinking, cooking, food preparation, making ice, dishwashing or personal hygiene needs. The village advises residents to “use caution” when showering, bathing or handwashing. Residents should also throw away any ice, food or beverages with potentially contaminated water. For any of those activities, the village states residents should either use commercially bottled water or boiled water. Boiled water should be heated to a rolling boil for at least one minute before use. The village states people who experience persisting diarrhea, cramps, nausea or headaches should seek medical advice. Village President Nicholas Crooks said the advisory was issued as a “precautionary measure,” as it’s unknown if the original test was a false positive. The village is working with the Department of Natural Resources to take additional samples and test them for E. coli.