Residents told to boil drinking water as waterworks hunts source of contamination

Residents in several areas of western Jutland must boil their tap water before drinking it after E. coli bacteria were detected in the supply, public utility Lemvig Vand announced on Tuesday.

The contamination was confirmed at Engbjerg Waterworks 1, south of Harboøre, affecting households in Thyborøn, Harboøre, Rønland, Langerhuse, Vejlby, Hygum, Vandborg, Strande, and Klinkby. Authorities estimate the boil-water advisory will remain in place for one to two days.

Lars Holmegaard, director of Lemvig Vand, stated that the source of the bacterial contamination remains unknown. “We typically see cases where a buried pipe has been dug up, allowing soil to enter the water supply, but we haven’t yet located where this occurred,” he told Danish broadcaster DR.

Until the source is identified, residents are urged to bring water to a rolling boil for two minutes before consumption to eliminate any risk. Holmegaard noted that while pipeline failures are not uncommon, issuing a boil-water notice is unusual for the utility.

“What makes this situation atypical is that we’ve had to implement a boil-water advisory,” he said. “We’re not accustomed to this, and it’s simply because we haven’t pinpointed the contamination source.”