Updated March 13, 11:30 a.m.
A boil-water advisory in Union County was lifted at 10:30 a.m. Friday. Mulitiple water quality tests confirmed that E. coli is no longer present in the water system, Union County officials said.
Union County had urged people in all but three of its municipalities to boil tap water before drinking it after a E. coli popped up during a test in Indian Trail.
The boil-water advisory impacted people who get their water from Union County Public Works. The county said the sample with E. coli – a bacteria that can cause severe abdominal cramps, diarrhea and vomiting – was taken Monday near the intersection of U.S. 74 and Gray Fox Road.
People in Monroe, Marshville and Wingate aren't impacted. People elsewhere in the county were told they would be under the advisory until at least Friday evening.
Public Works staff collected 12 other samples in the area as a follow-up measure. A second sample taken at U.S. 74 and Gray Fox didn't test positive for E. coli, but two other samples nearby had coliform – a group of bacteria the county says might be an indication of pathogens.
The county tests about 120 samples on a monthly basis. The Public Works Department got test results back late Tuesday. It's unclear why the notice wasn't issued until Thursday morning, but Union County Schools were closed Thursday as a result.