Contamination in the drinking water

From Friday of last week, it has been known that there are unhealthy germs in the drinking water in parts of the city of Zug. Provisional tests show a decrease in the contamination, however.

Now the culprits have a name – although it’s not quite a simple one: "Escherichia coli and enterococci" are the names of the germs that were first detected in drinking water in the City of Zug a few days ago. Parts of the new town (Neustadt) as well as the Vorstadt and old town are still affected, according to the WWZ

If these germs are detected in the water, this indicates that other microorganisms could be present. It’s therefore vital to boil any water used for drinking.

Any connection with Circulago network is excluded
WWZ is currently unable to comment on the cause. For this reason, too, it is not (yet) possible to say how the contamination of the water could have been prevented. A connection with the Circulago network, however, is excluded: "We operate our drinking water network completely independently of the Circulago network," says the WWZ. The two different networks can never come into contact with each other.

The company has also not commented on any liability for any infections. The current focus is on restoring the drinking water supply.

Values from experience cannot be used
In order to remedy the problem, the water pipes in the affected area have been flushed since Friday, and 30 to 40 samples are being taken daily from hydrants and public wells in the distribution network of the city of Zug. Working in close cooperation with the Office for Consumer Protection, the WWZ defines exactly where these samples are taken. And the measures are having an effect: provisional results show that the impurities are decreasing, according to the latest media release on Monday evening.

On Monday, WWZ employee Flavio Bütler and a colleague distributed free water to residents affected by the contaminated water.              Photo: Matthias Jurt
From Friday on, the WWZ has been flushing out the affected water pipes                 Picture: PD

As a further measure, free drinking water bottles have also been distributed to the affected residents from Saturday. The next occasion will be on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Landsgemeindeplatz and the Rigiplatz/Reiffergässli playground.

The company announced on Friday that the drinking water must be boiled "until further notice". More concrete information is not possible, not even from past knowledge: "We have not had a case of this kind for 30 years, and can therefore not fall back on experience," says WWZ. The measures recommended by the canton are being followed. Water should be boiled for:

• Drinking, beverage preparation (for example, ice cubes)
• For food preparation
• Medical purposes (wound cleansing, nasal rinsing and so on)
• Washing dishes by hand
• Coffee, tea making facilities with household appliances
• Washing of fruits, vegetables, salad or other foods
• Drinking water for sensitive pets

The WWZ will provide information about the latest results in the course of the afternoon on Tuesday. This time frame is necessary because the examination of the samples always takes 24 hours.