Boil Water Advisory Issued for Store at Five Corners Public Water System

WILLIAMSTOWN — A boil water advisory was issued for the public water system serving the Store at Five Corners and nearby connected properties, after routine testing detected E. coli contamination that exceeded state safety standards.

According to information provided by the Town of Williamstown’s Community Development Department, the affected system is considered a Public Water System (PWS) and is regulated by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP). Public water systems are required to conduct regular water testing and report results to the state. When contamination is detected, Mass DEP notifies the PWS’s designated leaders, who are then responsible for alerting all customers connected to that system.

E. coli is a bacteria commonly associated with fecal contamination, and its presence is used as a key indicator that water may be unsafe to drink without additional treatment. All residents or businesses connected to this specific PWS should have been notified directly at the start of the advisory.

Those who are not connected to the Store at Five Corners PWS are not affected and do not need to follow the boil-water precautions.

Residents with private wells are also unaffected by this advisory. However, Health Inspector Ruth Russell recommends annual testing of private wells for contaminants, noting that spring is typically the best time to perform routine water-quality checks.

Mass DEP maintains a public portal that lists all active boil-water orders statewide, as well as details on the type of contaminant found. The database can be accessed at: https://eeaonline.eea.state.ma.us/DEP/Boil_Order/