E. coli detected in water at a California elementary school one day after classes start

Students returned to class at Davis Elementary School in Stockton on Tuesday, just one day before E. coli bacteria was discovered in the water supply, Lodi Unified School District officials said.

The district learned last week that there may be issues with the drinking water. While awaiting test results, the district set up hand-washing stations and had hand sanitizer and bottled water available for teachers and staff who returned to campus July 26, according to Mark Dawson, who works for Lodi Unified and oversees North Stockton schools.

On Wednesday, a day after children came back from summer break, San Joaquin County provided the district with test results that showed unsafe levels of bacteria in the drinking water. School leaders immediately sent a letter out to parents informing them about the situation.

“We take safety for our students and our staff very seriously. And we wanted to make sure that we were providing everything that they needed,” Dawson said.

Water faucets and drinking fountains around the school have been sealed off with plastic and tape, he said. Nutrition services also switched to using jugs of clean water for all food preparation and dish cleaning.

Dawson said most parents were understanding and grateful for the precautions put in place. He emphasized that it is not uncommon for a rural school site to have issues with well water.

Most E. coli infections are harmless but some can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, pneumonia or sepsis, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People can become sick from E. coli by swallowing food or water contaminated with the bacteria.

Lodi Unified has five schools that use well water, but only Davis Elementary School has received results for unacceptable levels of E. coli. Currently, 358 students are enrolled at the elementary school.

The school district planned to treat the water this weekend and test it again for bacteria contamination Monday. New results are expected back by the middle of next week, Dawson said.

To his knowledge, no students or staff have reported any signs of illness as of Friday.