Customers are urged to Boil Water Prior to Drinking

(Santa Fe, N.M.) –The New Mexico Environment Department's Drinking Water Bureau issued a mandatory "boil water advisory" for the Seboyeta Water System. This follows last Friday's precautionary "boil water advisory."

NMED issued the mandatory advisory on November 19, 2012 after bacteriological contamination (E. coli) was detected and confirmed in drinking water samples from the system. NMED requires the Seboyeta Water System to notify water consumers of their water system of this finding. Seboyeta Water System serves approximately 290 residents located approximately 15 miles north of Laguna, NM in Cibola County.

This advisory only applies to the drinking water from the Seboyeta Water System, and does not extend to any other surrounding water systems.

Consumers of the Seboyeta Water System are advised to boil the water for five minutes before drinking, cooking, dishwashing and bathing. The presence of E. coli in water indicates that the water may have been in contact with sewage or animal wastes, and could contain disease-causing organisms. Most strains of E. coli are harmless and live in the intestines of healthy humans and animals. However, a positive test for E. coli in the drinking water supply may indicate the presence of dangerous strains of E. coli or other disease-causing organisms. These types of organisms may cause severe gastrointestinal illness and, in rare cases, death. Children, the elderly and immuno-compromised individuals are at an increased risk for illness.

The NMED Drinking Water Bureau will provide technical assistance to the water system and Seboyeta Water System will continue to test the water until no further threat of contamination remains.
For more information, call NMED Communications Director Jim Winchester at (505) 827-0314 or Nora Romero, Drinking Water Bureau Albuquerque Area Supervisor, at (505) 222-9531.