Ashford residents under boil-water order

Customers of the Ashford Water District are under an order to boil their drinking water, due to the presence of E. coli bacteria in the water.

One resident said she received a notice Saturday saying that the bacteria was detected May 2. She said the notice said the contamination may have occurred when repairs were made to a leaking water main.

Efforts to contact water district officials Saturday afternoon were unsuccessful.

Edie Jeffers, spokeswoman for the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, said the water district is regulated by the state Department of Health but that notification of residential customers is the responsibility of the local water district.

Jeffers said the county health department is responsible for notifying restaurants and other businesses serving food. She said six businesses were notified that they needed to cease food preparation until the boil water order is lifted.

The water district also serves 259 residential customers.

This story was originally published May 7, 2016 at 7:55 PM with the headline "Ashford residents under boil-water order."