Schools

Officials Working to Purify Water at Mansfield Middle School

Traces of coliform were found in the Mansfield Middle School water late last week.

Officials are working to solve the latest water problem at the Mansfield Middle School.

A broken water conduit to one of the school's three wells is to blame for traces of contamination found in the school's water, Superintendent of Schools, Fred Baruzzi said Monday.

A required quarterly water test conducted by Premier Laboratory late last week indicated that there were traces of coliform, a bacteria, in the water supply, Baruzzi said.

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Parents, students and staff members have since been advised not to drink the water.

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Find out what's happening in Mansfield-Storrswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The system is currently being treated with chlorine, and is expected to be tested again on Wednesday, Bill Hammon, Mansfield's facility manager said Monday.

Hammon said the conduit, which sits above ground, may have been kicked or hit by a lawnmower, allowing for contamination.

Hammon said he recently installed chain-linked fences around the schools' wells to prevent the incident from happening again.

The school will continue to monitor the situation and provide water for students, staff and faculty until the situation is resolved.


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