Bethel tells Bethel Heights water customers to boil water after E. coli test

Bethel residents who get piped water from the Bethel Heights Water Treatment Plant should boil it before drinking it or cooking with it, the city said Thursday, after a sample from one of the system's three testing sites came back positive for E. coli.

The system serves about 2,228 people through 296 service connections, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's record for it.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation advises people under a boil-water notice to boil water for at least two minutes before drinking it, cooking with it or brushing their teeth with it.

E. coli are bacteria whose presence means the water may be contaminated with human or animal waste, according to the state's boil-water notice form. The notice stays in effect until follow-up testing shows the water is safe, and the city hasn't said when that will be. "An update will be provided as soon as results are available," it said.

The plant draws from two deep groundwater wells on Ridgecrest, according to the city's 2025 water quality report.

Part of the system was under a boil-water notice in February 2025, when frozen lines in Bethel Heights Loop A dropped water pressure below 20 psi. The city warned then that contamination could get into the system as the lines thawed.

The city is asking customers to share Thursday's notice with neighbors, friends and family who may be on the system.