Bacteria-related tests
Lab checks for indicator bacteria are common in the public file — and easy to over-read.
Water sample
one place, one date
Indicator check
coliforms / E. coli
Follow-up signal
not every tap, not today
What people notice
Words like “coliform” or “E. coli” on a report. These are indicators — signals that something may have entered the water that should not be there — not a full census of every microbe.
What records usually show
Most samples show nothing. A flag means follow-up (often re-testing) and can appear on our system pages. Past flags are not a live boil-water notice.
What you can do
- Read the system page detail if a flag appears.
- Current advisories: city or public health unit only — not open data, not this site.
- Private well? These municipal pages do not describe your well — see private wells.