Several Connecticut communities have recently experienced water quality concerns, with the most notable being a localized E. coli detection in Essex that triggered a boil water advisory for multiple shoreline towns.

Boil Water Advisory and Lift

On July 10, 2026, the Connecticut Water Company detected E. coli bacteria during routine testing at a sample point in Essex. This prompted a mandatory boil water order for residents in Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Essex, Guilford, Madison, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook.

Officials advised boiling water for one minute before drinking, using it for food preparation, brushing teeth, or washing dishes. Infants, young children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals were warned of higher health risks.

Water tankers were deployed at local fire departments and public locations to serve affected residents.

The advisory was lifted on July 11, 2026, after repeat testing confirmed the water met state and federal safe drinking water guidelines and posed no E. coli risk. The company described the issue as isolated to one tap in Essex and not widespread.

Broader Water Quality Concerns

Beyond this incident, a 2025 study by the Environmental Working Group found that Connecticut’s 482 public water utilities serve 120 known contaminants, including haloacetic acids, bromodichloromethane, dichloroacetic acid, chloroform, and PFAS chemicals linked to cancer and other health issues.

The report highlighted that nearly all community water systems have detectable contaminants, and federal PFAS regulations are under political review, raising concerns about future protections.

How to Stay Informed

• Is It Clean provides real-time water quality data for Connecticut rivers and lakes, including E. coli levels and recreation safety tips www.isitclean.us.
• Local water utilities and the Connecticut Department of Public Health issue alerts for boil water notices or other service disruptions.
• Residents can use ZIP-code search tools to see contaminants in their specific water system.
• Bottom line: The most recent major event was a short-lived boil water order in July 2026 due to a localized E. coli detection, but broader concerns remain about chemical contaminants in Connecticut’s tap water.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of man-made chemicals that have been widely used in many industrial and consumer products due to their unique properties, such as resistance to heat, water, and oil. However, the widespread use of PFAS has also resulted in their release into the environment, including water sources, where they can persist for a long time and pose potential risks to human health.

New England is one of the regions in the United States that has been particularly affected by PFAS contamination. According to a report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), over 70 sites in New England have been identified as contaminated with PFAS, including several public water systems. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to various health effects, such as developmental problems, cancer, and immune system damage, among others.

Spring water can be a good solution for safety in New England because it is typically sourced from underground aquifers and is therefore less likely to be contaminated with PFAS. Additionally, spring water is often naturally filtered through layers of rock and soil, which can help remove some of the contaminants that may be present in the environment.

However, it is important to note that not all spring water is created equal, and some may still contain PFAS or other contaminants. Therefore, it is essential to choose a reputable brand of spring water that has been tested and certified by independent third-party organizations, such as NSF International or the International Bottled Water Association. Berkshire Springs is one such brand.

In addition to choosing a safe source of drinking water, there are other steps that individuals can take to reduce their exposure to PFAS. These include avoiding products that contain PFAS, such as non-stick cookware and waterproof clothing, and filtering their tap water with a certified PFAS removal system.

In conclusion, PFAS contamination is a significant issue in New England, and spring water can be a good solution for safety However, it is important to choose a reputable brand and take additional steps to reduce exposure to PFAS. By working together to address this issue, we can help ensure that everyone in New England has access to safe and healthy drinking water.

Arsenic is a naturally occurring mineral in water (although there have been some isolated cases of human contamination of arsenic by using pesticides in the 1930’s). Most contamination of arsenic in water occurs naturally.

For decades, the lowest level scientists could test for arsenic was 50 parts per billion (ppb) in water. Unfortunately, that is not a protective level—which means that 50 ppb is too high a level for safe human consumption.

Research has shown that drinking water over a six-month period with as little as .17 ppb can cause a chronic health condition manifesting itself with skin lesions, sometimes involving internal organs. Ingesting water with just 1ppb for an extended period can also cause endocrine disruption. These can cause cancerous tumors, birth defects, and developmental disorders.

The EPA has dropped the contaminant level from 50 ppb down to 10 ppb, but that did not cause much public awareness. Why? Because this Level 1 contaminant is not visible, one cannot smell it, and it does not affect the taste of the water—so people are not aware that it still creates water that is unsafe to drink. A level 1 contaminant is a contaminants that cannot be removed and constitutes a significant food safety or quality risk. This has been an issue for residents of the Catskills in New York, as well as many people in central Massachusetts.

https://casereports.bmj.com/content/14/7/e244071

Endocrine Society. “Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs).” Dec. 8, 2022. https://www.endocrine.org/patient-engagement/endocrine-library/edcs

From Pittsfield to Springfield to Amherst and North Adams, Massachusetts is getting ready for spring already. And so is Connecticut, from Hartford to Enfield to Torrington. Western Connecticut and Massachusetts are preparing for the spring sports season for its grade school and high school students.

Basketball is now giving way to baseball, golf and tennis are being discussed again, and our sons and daughters are getting ready to compete on athletic fields outside.

And so, bottled water is again a chosen commodity among families who are concerned about their children’s health and wellbeing. Because it is not enough just to stay hydrated—it is important to stay hydrated with well-tested, low-sodium, lead-free, chlorine-free spring water—ideally from a local source to reduce the excess waste and carbon from long-distance shipping. And when it gets warmer outside, our bodies need more fluids, and that means more consumption of good quality bottled water.

If you don’t own a water cooler yet, consider it as a great investment—it helps keep our children drinking more water and fewer sugary soft drinks. It makes getting hot coffee and tea more convenient… and having your water delivered to your home is much more convenient than lugging it home from the supermarket. So that means you don’t run out of water—and that is particularly important when you have an active family and spring is in the air! You can even spend your time at baseball games, and not out shopping for water!

“Similar to reducing salt intake, drinking enough water and staying hydrated are ways to support our hearts and may help reduce long-term risks for heart disease,” said Natalia Dmitrieva, Ph.D., the lead study author and a researcher in the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of NIH.*

Similarly, Dr. Joseph Watso, PhD. At Florida State University, has made claims that “inadequate water intake is associated with obesity and also predicts greater future risk for developing cardiovascular disease.**” It is pretty clear that those who are chronically not meeting adequate hydration levels do have a higher rate of morbidity and mortality. Increasing water consumption helps reduce sodium levels in the blood, increases the blood capacity, and decreases the blood pressure required to get blood to the cells that need them.

There is increasing evidence that there is a “potentially protective effect of higher total water intake on the kidney. Chronic kidney disease is inversely related to higher intake of pure water, but not of other beverages.

In summary, starting early with the habits of good hydration is a practice that can last a lifetime. Further, those habits are increasingly important as we age, since the thirst sensation decreases, and, typically, older people are more likely to be significantly under-hydrated.

*Middle age serum sodium levels in the upper part of normal range and risk of heart failure. European Heart Journal, 2022. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehac138.
**Hydration Status and Cardiovascular Function, https://wwwncbi.nim.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6723555

Now is the time to start shaping the behavior of your children to healthy living. Introducing healthy foods and beverages to children from birth to 5 years of age often shapes the health behaviors that they follow throughout adulthood.

Simple exposure to healthy drink and food choices, including choosing water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages, can help ensure your child is happy and healthy for years to come. Habits are formed easily at early ages—so setting the stage early in life is the best guarantee of continued healthy living for a long time.

Water is one of the most important parts of any child’s diet. It is essential in keeping bowel movements regular and helping to prevent conditions such as urinary tract infections and kidney stones.

Water also allows us to regulate our body temperature. When our bodies heat up—because of a hot day or because of physical activity, for instance—the brain alerts the sweat glands to produce sweat. When children don’t drink enough water, the body cools itself by the evaporation of sweat from the skin. If dehydrated, their bodies can’t sweat enough to stay cool.

Just like adults, kids need plenty of water to carry out daily functions. As a parent, it can be hard to gauge how much water your child needs to stay properly hydrated.

It is often recommended that kids drink the daily amounts of water according to their age: the number of 8-ounce cups of water should be the same as their annual age, up to 8 years old. These amounts do not include other beverages they may consume in a day such as milk and juice.

By law, FDA standards for bottled water must be at least as protective of public health as EPA standards for tap water. But sometimes, bottled water standards are more stringent.

Promising research investigates link between low water intake and age-related physiological dysfunction

Our thirst sensation decreases as we age, and that’s problematic because research shows that adequate water consumption contributes to overall health in many ways.

The article below, published in WebMD on June 16, demonstrates the importance of drinking only water that is known to be free from PFAS. Consuming water that is regularly tested for all contaminants and inspected annually at the bottling and source levels appears to be more important than ever, now that the EPA has dramatically lowered the acceptable levels of certain chemicals down to “parts per quadrillion.” The problem appears to be that PFAS, among others, do not really decompose, but linger and accumulate in the body “forever,” creating a health hazard over time.

The solution is natural spring water or other bottled water that is proven to be contaminant-free, right from the container you drink it.

Good Morning! Look what we found when doing some Spring Cleaning at the office. I love this vintage mailer. It is nostalgic, and a throwback to our roots, but the concept and offer are still relevant today.