E. coli cases put Glendale Town on boil order

The Town of Glendale put out a water boil order in late November, after a series of tests came back positive for coliform contamination, indicating a system at risk of E. coli infection. Glendale residents were instructed to bring all water to boil for one minute before use in cooking, dish washing, drinking or brushing teeth.

Water quality is of fre­quent concern in Glendale, with the “Frequently Asked Questions” section of the website consisting entirely of questions regarding wa­ter quality, and the town regularly engaging with the citizens on social media on the topic of water. Frequent attendees of city meetings comment that water has been a point of concern for “a long time,” and more than one commenter on social media stated that treatment of water issues was a high priority in the recent electoral votes.

Anecdotal reports men­tion potential E. coli symp­toms in early November, with the first report of positive coliform tests ap­pearing during a November 19 routine check, confirmed by further tests on Novem­ber 21. The first positive E. coli sample appeared on November 24, and the Glendale Town released the boil order within the day. Follow-up testing was scheduled, and treatment began the last week of No­vember.

As of November 27, treat­ment of the water system had begun, and tests came back negative for E. coli, with the boil order still in effect during the wait for test results, further system treatment and potential identification of the source of the initial contamination.

This issue arises dur­ing a period of legislative turnover in Glendale, with the seats of multiple city officials turning over to new electees - including that of Mayor Dan Spen­cer, currently listed as the administrative official in charge of the water system per the Utah Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) drinking water re­port. Mayor Spencer will be finishing his term in 2025, with Mayor-elect Jeremy Chamberlain assuming the seat in 2026 - possibly, but not necessarily, assuming the responsibility of ad­ministrative contact over Glendale’s water.

The boil order remains in effect until otherwise stated, awaiting test re­sults. Further information is available on the Town of Glendale’s social media, glendaletownutah.gov and Glendale’s page on the DEQ’s Water Link water quality website.