Officials: E. coli found in Long Beach drinking water

Nassau County health officials said Friday that all visitors and residents in Long Beach should use bottled or boiled water after officials received a positive test of E. coli in city drinking water.

County and city officials have directed about 35,000 residents to boil water for at least a minute for drinking, brushing teeth, washing hands when preparing food and bathing infants. No residents have become ill, officials said.

Water is still safe for bathing, if not ingested, and cooking, if water is boiled or food is cooked to appropriate temperatures. Water should not be used to rinse produce.

County officials said the source of the E. coli had not been found, but can possibly be found in a water main or storage tank, which prompted a request for the city to flush hydrants. The city has raised the chlorine levels and is flushing the water system.

Water was being tested Friday evening and another 10 samples were planned Saturday morning. The boil order could be lifted, if both tests come back clean Sunday.

The E. coli warning does not apply to surrounding communities of Long Beach, including Lido Beach, Atlantic Beach and Point Lookout.

“If you live in or are visiting Long Beach, only consume bottled or boiled water even when brushing your teeth,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said. “The health and safety of our residents is our absolute priority.”

The governor’s Office of Emergency Services is providing Long Beach residents with 30,000 bottles of water. Nassau County is distributing water at three sites: Kennedy Plaza in front of city hall, Long Beach Regional Catholic School and at the East School.

The warning comes as the city is set to welcome more than 30,000 visitors for three days of festivities for Pride on the Beach. LGBT Network president David Kilmnick said festivities will go on as planned, with bottled water available on the boardwalk.

Nassau County Commissioner of Health Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein said no illnesses have been reported from drinking water, which usually appears within three days of ingesting it, followed by gastrointestinal distress. He said cases of E. coli are rare and have not been found in Nassau for several years.

“We have not identified an ill resident,” Eisenstein said. “We don’t have a case of E. coli, and I don’t believe we will.”

He said residents who have consumed city water should watch for symptoms and discard any tap water or ice. Any signs of illness should prompt residents to seek medical attention.

Acting City Manager Rob Agostisi said residents received an automated call Friday morning advising residents water is unsafe unless it’s boiled for at least one minute.

Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach) said he lives with his two young children a block away from where the sample was taken.

“It’s important that every parent, resident and visitor to Long Beach heed this warning,” Kaminsky said.

Long Beach and Nassau officials were notified Friday morning that routine testing of a water sampling station at Grand Boulevard and West Chester Street tested positive for coliforms, which is an indication of the presence of E. coli, Agostisi said.

Two additional samples were taken at two private homes, which led to one positive test for E. coli, Agostisi said.

Health inspectors were visiting Long Beach restaurants and directing businesses to use bagged ice and not use water for food service or washing produce. Ice cream parlors were advised not to use dipping wells for scoops.

“I’ve had 40 cancellations already today,” Matthew Hisiger, chef-owner of LB Social, said Friday afternoon. “But I also have customers who have told me they are coming for dinner because they trust me.”

Hisiger said he first heard about the situation from a city robocall.

“For a brief moment, I thought about closing the restaurant,” he said, “but when the Health Department told me I could open if I followed their guidelines, I decided to stay open.”

Those guidelines, he said, include washing food only with water that has been previously boiled and cooled, and increasing the amount of sanitizing solution used in the dishwasher from one teaspoon to one tablespoon.

For Katerina Langis, whose family owns Diner by the Sea, the news seemed like a cruel joke. “We specialize in rainbow milkshakes and rainbow pancakes,” she said. “To have to consider closing for Pride weekend — it’s devastating.”

 As soon as the news broke, Langis dispatched family members to buy water, ice and soda. “If I have to send my husband to Restaurant Depot in New Jersey, I will.”

The diner, she said, emptied out within 30 minutes of the announcement, “except for one table of out-of-towners who came in for milkshakes and obviously didn’t know anything.”

Langis never considered closing. “I’d rather spend the money on bottled water and bagged ice,” she said in a tone that was more bemused than resigned.

“After [superstorm] Sandy, there’s really no crisis that Long Beach can’t handle."

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.com,erica.marcus@newsday.comJohnAsbury,

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.