SPRING, Texas – A boil water advisory issued Wednesday has been canceled in a Spring neighborhood.
The Bilma Public Utility District canceled the notice Thursday afternoon after the district found the water in its latest sample was safe to drink.
In a statement, Bilma PUD wrote the operator had expected the water would be found safe to drink.
"The operator further feels Bilma water was always safe to drink and a testing sample was inaccurate'" the statement went on to say.
The Bilma PUD said customers should make their own decision when it comes to disposing of ice, flushing water through home water lines or replacing water filters.
The boil water notice was issued Wednesday for a Spring neighborhood after a water sample showed that E. coli bacteria may be in the water supply. The next day the Bilma PUD said that reading was inaccurate, and apologized for any inconvenience it may have caused to residents and customers.
The Bilma PUD supplies water for 1,800 customers in the Louetta Road area, as well as Kuykendahl Road, Spring-Cypress Road and T.C. Jester Boulevard in northwest Harris County.
The concerning sample was found in the water supply Tuesday.
According to the company on Wednesday, the first sampling, taken Jan. 3, showed evidence of coliform contamination, but no E.coli.
Follow-up sampling conducted two days later found E.coli in two of three samples. But the company says it believes there was enough chlorine in the system to prevent it from being a health threat.
Bilma PUD's statement to KPRC2 on Wednesday read:
"The Bilma Public Utility District is issuing a boiled water advisory to our customers.
"Our routine sampling, as required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), detected coliform organisms. While we feel chlorine levels are sufficient to eliminate the coliform organisms, the TCEQ requires us to advise customers to boil water to ensure safe consumption.
"We have already re-sampled water and are having it tested at a certified lab. We expect to see safe drinking water levels in the next lab report on Thursday, January 10.
"We apologize for the inconvenience of this situation. The Bilma Board will conduct a full-review of the test and lab process to ensure safe delivery of superior water quality to our residents, in accordance with EPA and TCEQ requirements."
For more information, residents can contact Howard S. Wilhite, R.S., M.E.H., at 281-353-9809 or P.O. Box 1209, Spring, Texas 77383. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by bacteria and other disease-causing organisms are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.