Dozens of schools affected by boil water advisory

By WBAL Staff

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    BALTIMORE (WBAL) — Authorities on Monday issued a boil-water advisory after E. coli contaminants and total coliform were found in water samples in west Baltimore, which has impacted dozens of schools.

Baltimore City Public Schools said it will provide hand sanitizer for ​staff and students to use for all handwashing. City Schools offers nearly all schools bottled water as a standard drinking and meal preparation practice.

For schools in the primary impacted area of Harlem Park, staff and students will continue to use bottled water ​for drinking, and ​all meals ​will be prepared off-site. These schools include:

Harlem Park Elementary/Middle School Bluford Drew Jemison STEM Academy West Youth Opportunity Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts Career Academy

At schools in the secondary impacted area in west Baltimore, students may use water and hand sanitizer for handwashing. Most schools will continue to use bottled water. For schools that use filtered water, bottled water was delivered Tuesday, according to City Schools. Bottled water will continue to be used for drinking and meal preparation. These schools include:

Lakeland Elementary/Middle Sandtown-Winchester Achievement Academy Matthew A. Henson Elementary Dorothy I. Height Elementary Rosemont Elementary/Middle Mount Royal Elementary/Middle Katherine Johnson Global Academy Franklin Square Elementary/Middle The Historic Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Elementary Bay-Brook Elementary/Middle Furman Templeton Preparatory Academy Booker T. Washington Middle Robert W. Coleman Elementary Billie Holiday Elementary Mary Ann Winterling Elementary at Bentalou Belmont Elementary Morrell Park Elementary/Middle Violetville Elementary/Middle Frederick Elementary Empowerment Academy William S. Baer School Midtown Academy New Song Academy Joseph Briscoe Academy Green Street Academy Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy Coppin Academy Renaissance Academy Frederick Douglass High Carver Vocational-Technical High

Baltimore County Public Schools provides bottled water to students and staff at schools in the area, and meals for those students will be prepared in facilities that are not covered by the boil water advisory.

Baltimore County Public Schools posted a statement on its website, saying: “Baltimore County Emergency Management is reporting that the area of concern for potential E. coli in Baltimore City water supply impacted by the boil water advisory includes the southwest area of Baltimore County. Southwest area schools and offices have been notified. The Department of Facilities Management will ensure adequate bottled water and hand sanitizer is available in all southwest area schools.”

Southwest area schools in Baltimore County include:

Arbutus Elementary School Arbutus Middle School Baltimore Highland Elementary School Catonsville admin Catonsville alternative Catonsville Elementary School Catonsville Middle School Catonsville High School Chadwick Elementary School Dogwood Elementary School Edmondson Heights Elementary School Featherbed Lane Elementary School Halethorpe Elementary School Hebbville Elementary School Hillcrest Elementary School Johnnycake Elementary School Lansdowne Elementary School Lansdowne Middle School Lansdowne High School Maiden Choice Elementary School Meadowood Education Center Powhatan Elementary School Relay Elementary School Southwest Academy Westchester Elementary School Western Tech Westowne Elementary School Windsor Mill Middle School Winfield Elementary School Woodbridge Elementary School Woodlawn Middle School Woodlawn High School Woodmoor Elementary School What is E. coli and total coliform?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, E. coli bacteria can be found in the environment, foods and intestines of people and animals. Although most strains of are harmless, others can make you sick.

Some kinds of the bacteria can cause diarrhea, while others cause urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia and other illnesses, the CDC said.

The CDC defines total coliform as a group containing fecal and nonfecal coliforms that are detected in water using a standard test. The extent to which total coliforms are present in water can indicate the general quality of that water and the likelihood that the water is contaminated fecally by animal and/or human sources.

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