DEQ Lifts Boil Order For Adair County Rural Water District After E-Coli Found

An Adair County rural water district says it is now safe to drink water again without having to boil it. The state Department of Environmental Quality had placed a boil order for rural district two customers after finding e-coli in the system.

Customers of Adair County Rural Water District 2 were notified of the positive sample a few days ago. The DEQ says the system does not have a history of issues and that more than 1,600 people live in the district.

When the agency got the positive result, it immediately worked to alert people to boil their water.

“If you were to drink water and be impacted by that, it’s not going to feel very good,” said Erin Hatfield, a spokesperson for the state agency. “It’s really important that people do pay attention to these boil orders.”

Jeff Walters lives in Stilwell and says it is an inconvenience to have to worry about if your water is safe.

“It is a necessity,” he said. “If it’s not drinkable, you worry about Am I bathing in something that may get E-Coli?”

The DEQ did not release information on how or where the E-Coli was in the system.