By SANDY McGEE

WOONSOCKET — East Woonsocket residents are no longer required to boil their water after the city’s Water Division and state Department of Health lifted the water advisory on Friday.

Thousands of East Woonsocket residents were asked to boil their water after a main break on Wednesday caused discolored water and service interruptions for most homes and businesses in the Diamond Hill area.
All customers of the Woonsocket water system, including residents and businesses in East Woonsocket, may now use the water without boiling, according to the city’s Water Division and state Department of Health.
Residents are asked to flush their water service lines in homes and businesses for one to five minutes to reduce any residual microbial contamination, according to the state Department of Health.
Samples throughout the distribution system were collected during the past few days. Officials of the city’s Water Division said all samples collected and tested for bacteria show no indication of any bacterial growth.
The state Department of Health’s Drinking Water Quality department recently received results of coliform testing from the Diamond Hill Road area. All the results are negative, according to the DOH.
The health department advises that anyone who has been in contact with or has consumed water from this system, and is experiencing any unusual symptoms, should immediately contact their physician or visit a hospital emergency room.
The water main break also caused more than 1 million gallons of water in the Diamond Hill water tank to empty out, said Carol Lariviere, superintendent for the city’s Water Division.
City officials said the water is believed to have saturated back into the ground after flowing from the area of the water main break. No flooding has been reported in the area and is not expected since the water flowed over a steady period of time, Lariviere said.
Firefighters at the Mendon Road fire station distributed free bottled water to residents throughout the past three days. More than 100 bottles were distributed as of noon on Thursday.
The areas affected by the water main break included Diamond Hill Road from the Cumberland town line to Mendon Road; all residential streets accessed from Elder Ballou Meeting House Road, Bound Road and Diamond Hill Road; and Pine Crest Road. The affected area also included Pine Swamp Road and Stephen’s Way, both in Cumberland.
Officials are still unsure what caused the water main break, but they are investigating.
The city’s Water Division thanked residents on Friday for their patience and cooperation during the last few days.
Residents are asked to report any sightings of unusual water flow from the ground that is not normally visible at this time of the year.
For more information or to report unusual water flow, call the city’s Water Division at (401) 767-1410. For more information about water contamination or health issues, visit the state Department of Health’s Web site at www.health.ri.govs.