Hainburg tells residents to boil contaminated drinking water

Hainburg, a town municipality in the Bruck an der Leitha district, has told residents to boil tap water for at least three minutes after bacteria were found in drinking-water samples, ORF reported Monday.

The municipality said the latest tests detected elevated concentrations of intestinal enterococci and coliform bacteria. The water currently does not meet the microbiological requirements for drinking water.

As an immediate measure, the water network has been shock-chlorinated. The municipality said work to resolve the problem was continuing. Until a report confirms that the water is hygienically safe, residents should bring it to a rolling boil for three minutes before drinking it or using it elsewhere in the household.

Enterococci require disinfection

Enterococci are routinely tested for in drinking water, swimming-pool water and bathing water. Their presence is highly likely to indicate faecal contamination, meaning the water may also contain pathogenic bacteria, viruses or parasites.

According to the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, enterococci must not be detectable in 100 millilitres of drinking water. If they are detected, the water supplier must disinfect the supply using approved disinfectants such as chlorine, chlorine dioxide or hypochlorite solution.