PIWD Drinking Water Warning
REPEAT PUBLIC NOTICE -DRINKING WATER WARNING
SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCIES IN PRUDENCE ISLAND WATER DISTRICT'S WATER SYSTEM
BOIL YOUR WATER BEFORE USING
In September 2018 the Prudence Island Water District exceeded the Microbiological Maximum Contaminant Level standard. As our customers, you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we are doing to correct this situation.
We routinely monitor for the presence of drinking water contaminants. A routine sample taken from the storage tank on September 27, 2018 was positive for total coliform and E.coli. On October I, 20 I 8 a second sample was taken from the tank as well as Indian Spring Well #4, Army Camp Well, a home on Allen Lane, and a home on Pier Road. Indian Spring #4 and Army Camp wells were both absent of total coliform and absent of E.coli. The samples from the storage tank, home on Allen Lane and home on Pier Road were absent of E. coli, but all three contained total coliform. E. coli bacteria can make you sick and are especially a concern for people with weakened immune systems.
This is a repeat Public Notice. Notices were also distributed on Oct 5, 2018; Mar 6, Jun 8, Sep 11, and Dec 11,
2019; Mar 7, May 28, Sep 4, and Dec 7, 2020; May 25, Aug 28, and Dec 10, 2021; Feb 23, Jun 2, Sep 1, and Dec 3, 2022; Mar 1, May 31, Sep 1, and Dec 3, 2023; Mar 3, May 31, Aug 31, and Nov 30, 2024; Mar 3, Jun 1, Aug 30, and Dec 1, 2025; Mar 1 and Jun 1, 2026.
What should I do? What does this mean?
• DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until fmther notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
• E.coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Human pathogens in these wastes can cause shott-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a greater health risk for infants, young children, the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.
• The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice from their healthcare providers about drinking this water.
What is being done?
The District has conducted two hundred and three (203) tests between November 11, 2018 and July 26, 2026. All 203 drinking water samples were confirmed by an independent laboratory to be absent of E. coli bacteria. Total coliform was detected in fifteen ( 15) of these samples and confirmed by repeat sampling in eight (8) instances.
During routine monitoring, if the presence of coliform is detected and confirmed by repeat sampling, the RI Depa1tment of Health (RIDOH) requires the District to perform an assessment to try and identify potential pathways of bacterial contamination and correct them. Most often, the PIWD is required to hire an independent, ce1tified contractor to perform a full assessment of the water system. Since 20 I 8, these assessments have identified: seasonal shut down of summer homes; lack of dedicated sample taps; IS#4 well casing seal defect; faulty sample tap at AC well; missing backflow devices at IS wells; improper disinfection during leak repair; and most recently, the presence of biofilm in the distribution line as the most likely causes of the contamination. Except for the last listed, for which no corrective actions were required by RIDOH, all identified potential sources of contamination have been addressed by the PIWD.
In February 2019, the RIDOH and PIWD signed a Consent Order (3rd amended June 2022) to address the first listed potential cause of contamination (seasonal shut-down of houses). After the PIWD had successfully completed this work as described in a Corrective Action Plan submitted to RIDOH, RIDOH determined that the PIWD had not achieved full compliance with the consent order and mandated permanent chlorination and iron-manganese pre-treatment; corrective actions for which the PIWD had then engaged an engineer, applied for funding, and, having received preliminary approval from RIDOH, proceeded with project bidding and contractor selection. An extended RIDOH delay in their review of the Environmental Assessment submitted in November 2022 for this project necessitated a repeat of the project bidding and contractor selection efforts and this second round of effort was initiated after a Finding of No Significant Impact was received in July 2024. After bids were received in January 2025, the PIWD submitted its application for a ce1tificate of approval from RIDOH (received February 13, 2025) and resubmitted a funding application to the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank (RIIS) to allow us to proceed. RIIS awarded the PIWD full funding for the project (now $3.8M) with full principal forgiveness, so the project could proceed at no cost to our customers. A Notice to Proceed was sent to the contractor on April I I, 2025 and significant work on all aspects of the project began in September 2025. The PIWD began operating its treatment facilities on August 4, 2026, delivering chlorinated and filtered water to its customers since that date. For the next two months the PIWD will be calibrating the system and performing required RIDOH monitoring to confirm that chlorine residuals remain within specified parameters. The PIWD will remain on a boil water advisory until the treatment system is fully approved by RIDOH, with notifications sent every three months until the boil water advisory is lifted by RIDOH.
For more information, please contact the District (401.683.001 I; info@pih2o.org). 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 1-800-426-4 791.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, guests, tenants, and sho1t-term rentals). You can do this by posting this notice or distributing copies by hand or mail.
This notice is being sent to you by Prudence Island Water District.
DATE OF NOTICE ISSUED: September I, 2026
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