Asheville lifts boil water notice

Posted on by Pat Moran
DRINK UP: Asheville lifts its boil water notice. Photo by Pat Moran

Fifty-three days after being issued, the City of Asheville has lifted its boil water notice.

At today’s morning press briefing, city spokesperson Clay Chandler reported that the city’s water department tested 120 samples over the weekend. Turbidity is under 15.

“Asheville water customers can safely consume tap water again,” Asheville City Council member Sage Turner posted on Instagram and Facebook. “All tests came back negative for bacteria, including E. coli and coliform.”

According to the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, E. coli is a subgroup of fecal coliform. Fecal coliform — which can stem from animal or human waste, or sewage in drinking water — causes stomach aches, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal diseases.

For structures built before 1988, residents are reminded to flush cold water through their plumbing system each day to eliminate the risk of lead exposure.

“The water is officially safe again,” Turner stated in her online posts.

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About Pat Moran
As Mountain Xpress' City Reporter, I'm fascinated with how Asheville and its people work. Previously, I spent 25 years in Charlotte, working for local papers Creative Loafing Charlotte and Queen City Nerve. In that time I won three North Carolina Press Association Awards and an Emmy. Prior to that, I wrote and produced independent feature films in Orlando, Florida. Follow me @patmoran77
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2 thoughts on “Asheville lifts boil water notice”

  2. Jane Doe

    Beg your pardon. Isn’t safe drinking water level at 1.5 or less tribidity level?

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