Residents ordered to not drink water in 3 towns

Colechester, Conn. (WTNH) - Connecticut Water has issued a "Do Not Drink" warning for customers of the Amston Lake water system in Colchester, Hebron and Lebanon.

Authorities say this is due to high copper levels.

About 181 customers are affected.

Authorities have set up a water tanker for those impacted by the warning. It is located at Amston Lake Association Club House, on Wood Acres Road in Hebron.

The problem was likely caused by stray current causing erosion.

Debi Rushford of Hebron arrived home from work and found two Connecticut Water crew members in her driveway. They were going door to door, telling customers not to drink the water.

"There is my little sign, don't drink the water," said Rushford.

She has lived on Amston Lake her entire life, and said she has never had problems with copper in the water. As of tonight Connecticut Water said there is four times the legal amount of copper in the water, and people can't even brush their teeth with it. Boiling the water will also not make it safe.

"This is not a bacterial contamination where you can kill what is in the water,in fact if you boil the water you will be farther concentrating the level of copper in the water," said Dan Meaney of Connecticut Water.

According to Connecticut Water , the copper is not in the wells.

"They come around to the house and told us all about it, there is copper in the water, so we got the jugs out, and came to get our water," said Fred Crocker of Hebron.

Copper levels in the water are dangerously high; do not drink the water.

A firm that specializes in these types of problems will be on the scene Saturday morning.

Crews will be working throughout the night to try to find the problem.