Bacteria in Apeldoorn drinking water, residents stock up on bottled water

The drinking water around Apeldoorn is contaminated with E. coli bacteria. The drinking water company Vitens advises around 70,000 households to first boil water for three minutes at this time. The advisory applies until at least October 14. Residents do not need to boil the water first before showering or washing hands.

The company talks about a small contamination found during an inspection and says that it is obliged to report this for safety reasons. There has now been a run on bottled water in the supermarkets of Apeldoorn, a press photographer sees. Customers buy carts full of bottles at a time.

The contamination came from the drinking water supply in Apeldoorn. “There are four reservoirs. We are going to empty them one by one, then clean them and fill them up again. Then we will test if the pollution is gone,” said a talk Omroep Gelderland know This process can take days. How the bacteria E. coli ended up in the drinking water is being investigated.

Bacteria have been found more often in drinking water in the region recently, the regional broadcaster reports. For example, at the end of May, 25,000 households in the Achterhoek were advised to boil their drinking water because the enterococcal bacteria was found in a water reservoir in Dinxperlo.

I got it a week before 45,000 households In the towns of Zevenaar, Didam and Dieren, among others, there is also advice to boil drinking water. The enterococcal bacteria was also found in a reservoir in Ellecom.

The pollution in the spring was caused by faults and other technical faults at the treatment plants. There is no connection between the pollution in the spring and today, Vitens emphasizes.

The enterococcal bacteria are not pathogenic and therefore not dangerous to healthy people. But it can have unpleasant consequences for people with vulnerable health or by reducing resistance.

The bacteria E. coli occurs naturally in the intestines of humans and animals. The bacteria can lead to stomach and intestinal complaints if contaminated food or water is present.