Winslow drinking water ban lifted after E. coli discovery

For three days, Joe Mannini's kitchen was a chaotic scene of boiling pots of water and questions from worried customers about his pizza dough's tap water content.

"There weren't a whole lot of customers," the Winslow Township pizzeria owner said Monday afternoon. "In reality, the oven is 500 degrees. That will kill any bacteria, and if it doesn't, it probably deserves to live."

Mannini and the other 35,000 people in the eastern Camden County township could breathe a collective sigh of relief Monday afternoon after the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection approved the lifting of a drinking water ban that followed the discovery of E. coli in the town's public water system last week.

"The samples collected Friday and Saturday came back negative," said Larry Ragonese, a DEP spokesman. "We're just waiting to hear what the cause was and to make sure it was remedied."

Winslow officials are still investigating the source of the contamination, said Township Administrator Joe Gallagher. One theory is that a lawn irrigation system malfunctioned and sent dirty water back into the water main.

"We're looking at two or three locations," Gallagher said. "We've flushed the system, added some chlorine. We'll be monitoring the system very closely."

The E. coli scare began after a water sample taken from a Winslow home on Thursday was found to contain traces of the bacteria, which comes from the intestines of warm-blooded animals.

The testing lab informed the township on Friday afternoon. Officials then put out an alert, robo-calling residents and sending out e-mail blasts telling them not to drink the water without boiling it first.

Township schools were closed Monday due to the positive test. Teachers and staff spent the day readying bottled water and hand sanitizer supplies in the event the water ban remained in effect when classes resumed Wednesday, said Superintendent H. Major Poteat.

By Monday, many in town had developed a dark sense of humor about the water contamination.

At Glenn's Barber Shop, customers and staff joked back and forth about whether the water in the barbers' spray bottles would make them sick.

"Only if I spray it in your mouth," Glenn Iannaco told a customer.

Randee Speece, who works at the deli next door, shocked the people in the barber shop earlier in the day when she drank a glass of water in front of them.

"There's nothing wrong with the water. It's just the town being overly cautious," said the 26-year-old. "I made sure I drank it right in front of them. They almost had a heart attack."

Winslow Committeeman Charles Flamini said he had heard from many in the town, about 75 percent of whom are on the public water supply.

"We've had to field a lot of calls," he said. "People tend to be angry when you talk about their water."

The fact that the water tested positive for E. coli, a potentially deadly bacterium involved in several food-borne illness outbreaks, struck fear in many.

"Everyone is scared half to death. You hear E. coli, it's like cancer," said Mark Fiorentino, the owner of a farmer's market on Route 73.