Arcadia Hills residents receive ‘Boil Your Water Before Using’ notices

Residents of Arcadia Hills received “Boil Your Water Before Using” notices due to a failed chlorine pump in their water system on Thursday, Jan. 7.

Once the problem was detected, the pump was immediately shut down, said Dominic Hillard, chief operator of the Arcadia Hills water system.

Hillard, who is with JCO Inc., a company in Wurtsboro that specializes in water and wastewater treatment, monitors the pump on a daily basis. When he discovered the problem, he alerted the Orange County Health Department who directed him in procedure. Each home in Arcadia Hills received a “Boil Your Water Before Using” notice.

Hillard replaced the pump and tested it to make sure it was working correctly.

As required by the Health Department, Hillard took samples of water on two consecutive days: Friday and Monday; however, he also took a third water sample on Tuesday, going beyond what’s mandated.

“I took an extra sample to make sure everything is good,” said Hillard, who had sent these samples to the Health Department.

Currently he’s waiting to hear results from the Health Department, and when he does he’ll notify residents in Arcadia Hills that the water is once again drinkable.

Boil water

Until further notice, the “Boil Water” notice directed residents to bring tap water to a rolling boil and boil for two full minutes, then cool before using for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth and preparing food.

The “Boil Water” notice explained that harmful microbes could cause illness, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches or more. People most at risk are infants, elderly and others with compromised immune systems. If any of these symptoms persist, the notice urges to seek medical advice, as these symptoms are not just caused by microbes in drinking water.