Residents of Lake Helen spent Monday lining up for free water bottles distributed by the city as the entire community remains under a boil water notice following a positive E. coli test.

On Tuesday, city administratorJohn Brant said more tests came back positive for E. coli in the city’s untreated water.

“The test results from the positive E. coli came from raw water — that goes into the well, then it goes through the chlorination, then it goes to distribution. We have not received any positive E. coli tests or results from the distribution,” Brant said.

For many residents, the situation has been both confusing and unsettling. Peggy, a Lake Helen resident, said she’s been doing what she can to manage.

“I want it cleaned up. We’re out in the middle of nowhere. So you got to boil it. You’re still not going to take a shower when there’s E. coli, and I’ve got a farm,” Peggy said.

E. coli can signal contamination from human or animal waste and may cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea and headaches. The city’s water company conducted routine testing last Thursday, and results came back positive Saturday.

Brant said the positive result was isolated — and may not mean the broader water supply was compromised.

“It was only on the sample side. Not the distribution side. And so they’re taking other samples and so we’re awaiting test results now,” Brant said.

At least a few local businesses chose to close their doors rather than risk the safety of their customers. Jennifer Hendricks, owner of the Lil Cafe in Lake Helen, said the decision wasn’t a difficult one.

“Why just create more of a problem? I just said just close up and that’s OK. Things happen. And I have confidence in the city that I’ll be OK in a few days,” Hendricks said.

The city says it asked U.S. Water, which manages the water supply, but so far they have no answers on how this could have happened.

Residents we talked to, however, say the city has had water problems for a long time.

“I’ve seen it be brown before. There’s been things in the water before – it’s not the first time this has happened,” said resident Deviyana Hough.

Lake Helen’s mayor also says upgrading water infrastructure is now a top priority. In the meantime, the city says it is working on getting more water bottles to host another distribution event.

Residents should keep an eye out on social media for updates on that event when it happens.