Coliform Public Health Advisory Packet

We developed the Coliform Public Health Advisory Packet webpage to provide the tools you use to manage fecal contamination in your water supply. We will work closely with you to help you identify the source of contamination, eliminate it, and determine if you need to issue a public health advisory.

Public Notification Templates and Forms

You can choose from the Drinking Water Warning template or the Door Hanger template to provide public notice to your customers in an emergency. You must distribute one or both of these templates to all of your customers within 24 hours in the event of an acute maximum contaminant level (MCL) violation or other emergency that requires a health advisory.

Boil Water Door Hanger—English and Spanish

Use this template to inform your customers of contamination in the system and precautions they can take. Door hangers include information in English and Spanish. You can get door hangers from local health departments, our regional offices, or download these Word or PDF templates.

Boil Water Door Hanger in Spanish and English 331-698 (PDF) | Boil Water Door Hanger in Spanish and English 331-698 (Word)

Door Hangers Quickly Inform Customers During a Public Health Advisory

Write relevant information on each door hanger.
Fill in the top portion of the door hangers.
Print labels with the water system name, ID#, county, contact person's name and phone number, and the date you distribute the notice. Attach label to the bottom of each notice.
Complete the Drinking Water Warning template, make photocopies, and then staple a copy to the door hanger.

Drinking Water Warning

This public notice template provides detailed information about health effects and includes instructions for your customers. You can download templates for community and non-community water systems in Word or PDF.

You can use the Drinking Water Warning template to notify your customers in response to an E. coli or fecal Coliform positive sample result. You may reformat this template, but the content must remain the same. Type or write all the information required to complete the template. Next, copy it on brightly colored paper and distribute to all of your customers.

Coliform Public Notice Certification Form

You must complete and mail this form to us within 10 days of notifying your customers of an acute MCL violation. You must also send us a copy of the public notice you proved to your customers.

Public Notice Certification E. coli MCL Violation 331-264-F (PDF) | Public Notice Certification E. coli MCL Violation 331-264-F (Word)