Scituate boil water order lifted effective Nov. 1

The Town of Scituate announced Nov. 1 that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has lifted the town's boil water order effective immediately. Residents and businesses can resume normal water use, and the bottled water distribution that had been scheduled for that day was canceled.

The order had been in place after the town collected water samples on Oct. 27 and was notified Oct. 28 that two samples tested positive for E. coli. Follow-up samples collected Thursday came back negative for E. coli but positive for total coliform. MassDEP lifted the order after the town recorded two consecutive rounds of negative water testing, which the agency requires before an order can end.

With the order lifted, MassDEP guidelines recommend that residents with whole-house or refrigerator water filters change them, though this is not required. Out of caution, residents may also wish to flush household water lines: cold water faucets should run until the water feels cold for one minute or more, and hot water faucets should be flushed for at least 15 minutes or longer depending on the size of the hot water tank. Additional guidance is available on the state's drinking water boil order guide.

The town said it distributed almost 3,000 cases of bottled water to residents on Saturday and thanked town employees in the police, fire, DPW and water departments, along with CERT volunteers and Town Hall staff, for their work over the weekend.

Source: Town of Scituate announcement, November 2, 2026.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the original announcement.