Bacteria Found in Water at Palmer River, Beckwith Schools

Bacteria was discovered in the water at Palmer River Elementary and Beckwith Middle Schools in late August, but parents and school officials were not notified about the problem until September 4 – the day before the start of classes.

The changes come after testing showed total coliform bacteria in the well-fed water back on August 21. Precautions put in place included providing students with bottled water to drink, sanitizer to wash hands in the bathroom, and no hot meals.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’ss website: These bacteria can make you sick, and are a particular concern for people with weakened immune systems. Bacterial contamination can occur when increased run-off enters the drinking water source (for example, following heavy rains). It can also happen due to a break in the distribution system (pipes) or a failure in the water treatment process. A notice from state environmental officials posted on the schools’ websites states local authorities failed to collect a follow-up sample within 24 hours of the initial finding as required. The notice also says local officials failed to notify state environmental authorities of the problem within the mandated time.

“It’s been remarkable what the teachers, and the students, and the staff at these two buildings have been able to accomplish over the last few days with as minimal distractions as possible,” Superintendent Anthony Azar said Tuesday.

Azar noted parents sent their children to the schools with bottles of water to drink. School officials have been chlorinating and flushing the system and doing more testing. Azar explained “that at no time was this deemed a water emergency and thus we were not ordered to close our buildings. The feedback from our students and staff has been excellent. Some minor inconvenience especially around lunches being served, but otherwise it's been positive.”

“Students at our two Rehoboth schools are allowed to use the water for flushing and washing their hands,” Azar added. “Our hope is to have this water issue resolved sooner than later and before Sept 19th after following all of the Department of Environmental Protection protocols for when the bacteria known as coliform is found.”