By Kevin Hanson-The Courier-herald

Customers of the Y Bar S water system in rural Enumclaw were advised to begin boiling their water last week because E. coli bacteria had been discovered during a routine sample of drinking water.

The advisory had been formally issued by the state's Department of Health and confirmed in a letter drafted by the water system Oct. 11. It was received by the 105 users of the privately-owned water system Friday.

The Y Bar S development is north of 400th and just a bit west of state Route 169.

The letter received by Y Bar S residents indicated the contamination occurred because of a water outage and loss of pressure in the system. When that happens, &#8220it is possible that contamination from the environment or from human or animal waste may be drawn into the water system,” a form letter stated. &#8220Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches or other symptoms,” the letter added.

The letter noted a hope that the problem would be eliminated by Monday of this week.