New Jersey Herald (NJ)
Stephen J. Novak
http://www.njherald.com/287947351503471.php
HAMPTON — Signs warning of E. coli will, according to this story, have to remain posted for at least another week in the windows of the McDonald's at the Sussex County Mall.
The story says that McDonald's staff and the county health department discovered E. coli bacteria has invaded the restaurant's water supply for the second time in a week after a water sample test Tuesday. The test was expected to confirm the water was clean after an outbreak last weekend.
The county has shut down the establishment's well to find the cause of the contamination — water is being provided to the restaurant from tanker trucks.
Stephen Gruchacz, administrator of the Sussex County Department of Health and Human Services, was quoted as saying, "We are in the diagnosis process to find out exactly what the contamination source of the water is," and that the "alternative water source" provided by the tankers make it "fine for the store to operate. Our role right now is to find out what is happening. It's a little too early to tell. They (health officers) think it's something to do with the well, but until they do complete research, they don't know."
Well problems could result from the quality of the water, the integrity of the pump system or the purification system.
Gruchacz was further quoted as saying, "Their water was purified using ultraviolet light. Maybe the light wasn't strong enough, maybe they need another system ... we don't know yet."