Residents of Isle aux Morts are being advised to throw away all the water they collect from the town’s waterworks after E. coli bacteria was discovered in the water main. (Colleen Connors/CBC)

A town on Newfoundland’s southwest coast is scrambling to find drinking water for its residents after E. coli bacteria was detected in the community’s water supply, a town official said Friday.

Isle aux Morts announced on its Facebook page Wednesday that E. coli had been detected in the water building near the town’s fire station. People are using the drinking water dispenser system, which purifies the water, to fill bottles for personal use.

At the time, the city was told the water from the tap was still safe to drink, but Deputy Mayor Thomas Herritt said the city was contacted on Thursday and told not to drink from it.

“They called back and said they missed the sample and the test result was positive,” Herritt told CBC News Friday morning.

Herritt said two people in the city have become ill, but he could not say whether this was related to contact with E. coli.

Herritt said the situation was a “shock” to the community, which has a population of 559, according to recent data from Statistics Canada.

“The whole city is affected.”

However, a government official denies that E. coli tests were positive in either water supply.

Gina MacArthur, a spokeswoman for the Department of Digital Government and Service NL, told CBC News in an email Thursday evening that a routine test of the city’s drinking water dispensing plant on Aug. 21 came back positive for E. coli.

“Standard protocol requires additional testing at the same site to confirm the presence of E. coli. Out of an abundance of caution, the (drinking water dispensing unit) has been temporarily taken out of service,” she wrote.

However, MacArthur said a test of the tap water came back negative for E.coli and it was still safe to drink. “Therefore, there is currently no active boil water advisory for the town of Isle aux Morts,” she added.

Herritt told CBC Radio Newfoundland Morning City officials do not know how long E. coli was present in the city’s water, but add that it could have been a week or more.

At this point, Herritt said, officials do not yet know where the contamination came from. He said another test will be conducted on Friday and the results should be available in the next few days.

Contact with E.coli bacteria can cause nausea, vomiting, mild fever, headache, and severe stomach cramps, as well as watery or bloody diarrhea. Severe cases can lead to hospitalization or even death.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, symptoms can last for five to ten days. People who become infected with E. coli are advised to drink plenty of fluids to compensate for fluid loss.

Water bottles distributed

Because there are no safe water sources in Isla aux Morts, Herritt said the city delivered bottled water to residents on Thursday.

“We are trying to get a water truck to bring clean drinking water as well,” he said.

However, he said the city needs a better plan for the future. The city’s water treatment plant will be cleaned and the filter replaced.

“We hope the next test is negative and we will be back on track by Sunday or Monday.”

In the meantime, Herritt is asking residents of the town of 560 people to be patient. He said the town could face a major obstacle if it needs to upgrade or repair its existing water system.

“We’re definitely going to need help from the government somewhere because these small towns can’t afford all of this,” he said. “We’re doing the best we can here. We’re still going to do everything we can to help them.”

A post on the Isle aux Mort Facebook page advises people on how to follow a boil water advisory, even though there is no government advisory to that effect.

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