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

The City of Bethel on Thursday told all piped utility customers connected to the Bethel Heights Water Treatment Plant to boil their water after one of three water testing sites came back positive for E. coli.

E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes, according to the state's boil-water notice form.

The notice stays in effect until follow-up testing confirms the system is safe. The city hasn't given an end date. "An update will be provided as soon as results are available," the city said in its notice.

The Bethel Heights system serves about 2,228 people through 296 service connections, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's record for the system. The plant draws from two deep groundwater wells at the treatment plant on Ridgecrest, according to the city's 2025 water quality report.

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation advises people under a boil-water notice to boil their water for at least two minutes before drinking it, cooking with it or brushing their teeth with it. The agency says a notice like this may follow a confirmed E. coli detection and lasts until the problem is fixed and the water is found safe.

Part of the system has been under a boil-water notice before. In February 2025, the city issued a notice for Bethel Heights Loop A after extensive frozen distribution lines dropped water pressure below 20 psi, warning that thawing could let contamination into the system. That notice told customers not to drink the water without boiling it and said follow-up samples would be collected after thawing and any needed repairs.

The city is asking customers to share Thursday's notice with neighbors, friends and family who may be on the system. Residents with questions can call the city at 907-545-0167.