09/29/2026
🚱⚠️DRINKING WATER WARNING⚠️🚱
E. coli is Present in Ely Township - Greenwood Water
BOIL YOUR WATER BEFORE DRINKING OR USING
E.coli bacteria were found in the water supply on September 11, 2026. A routine sample was collected September 10, 2026. The lab called our operator on September 11, 2026, to inform him of an E. coli-positive sample for another supply. Follow-up samples were collected for that supply. Upon review of the official lab reports, that E. coli-positive sample was for Ely Township – Greenwood. As our customers, you have the right to know what happened and what we are doing to correct this situation. These bacteria can make you sick and are of particular concern for people with weakened immune systems. We are now conducting additional sampling to determine the extent of the problem and a thorough investigation to determine the source of the contamination.
What should I do? What does this mean?
DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using it. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. You may also use bottled water. Use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, preparing food, and washing dishes until further notice.
E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Human pathogens in these wastes can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a greater health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely-compromised immune systems.
The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. If you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice about drinking water from your health care providers.
What happened? What is being done?
Follow-up samples will be collected within 24-hours. We will inform you when tests show no bacteria and you no longer need to boil your water. We anticipate resolving the problem by October 2, 2026.
For more information, please contact Matthew Champion of Ely Township - Greenwood at 906-235-9347. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at
1(800) 426-4791.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
This notice is being sent to you by Ely Township - Greenwood.
