2,000 Gig Harbor homes are urged to boil their tap water. Here’s why.

GIG HARBOR, Wash. — Washington Water Service is advising about 2,000 homes on Peacock Hill in Gig Harbor to boil their tap water before drinking it or using it to cook after traces of E. coli was detected.

The water service says it was found in a water sample collected on Wednesday from one of their storage tanks.

Additional samples will be collected on Friday.

You can view the map of impacted homes here.

“The presence of E. coli bacteria indicates that the water may be affected by human or animal wastes,” the water service said in a news release.

As a precaution, Washington Water says it will be adding chlorine to other storage tanks in the system once these follow-up samples have been collected.

“We have notified the Washington State Department of Health about this incident, and we are advising you to take this measure out of an abundance of caution because protecting your health and safety is our highest priority,” Washington Water Service said.

DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST:

Washington Water Service says to bring all tap water to a rolling boil for one minute. Let it cool before using. Use boiled water (or bottled water) for drinking, preparing food, making ice, brushing teeth, and washing dishes by hand. Tap water is safe for showering, bathing, and for other household uses, including washing dishes in the dishwasher if the heat/sanitizing cycle and commercial dishwashing detergent are used.

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