Rhode Island and Massachusetts customers of the Blackstone water system were instructed to avoid all contact with their tap water after a break-in was discovered.

09:34 AM EST on Wednesday, March 29, 2006

BY TALIA BUFORD
Journal Staff Writer
With wire reports

NORTH SMITHFIELD -- Two 15-year-old boys have been charged in connection with a break-in at the town's water facility that prompted officials to declare a water emergency, the Blackstone police said.

The boys were arrested last night after they allegedly made comments about the incident at school. They're charged with trespassing, malicious destruction of property and tampering with a public water supply.

A 15-year-old girl may also face a trespassing charge.

Meanwhile, the water ban remains in effect in Blackstone and a portion of North Smithfield, Rhode Island. Officials say test results could be available later today on water samples, but residents have been ordered not to drink the water or use it for any other purpose.

Police Lieutenant Gregory Gilmore says at this point there is no evidence that anything toxic was introduced into the water.

The water emergency has forced customers of the Blackstone water system to take extra steps to ensure they have clean water.

Linda B. Thibault picked up 10 gallons of water on her way home from work yesterday.

She, like other customers of the Blackstone, Mass., Water Department, doesn't know how long she'll have to find another source for her water.

Yesterday morning, Rhode Island and Massachusetts customers of the Blackstone water system were told to avoid all contact with their tap water after a security breach at the Bellingham Avenue facility was discovered earlier that morning.

Forty-four residences in Rhode Island and 8,849 customers in Massachusetts are affected by the ban.

"Five years ago, if this had happened, we'd brush it off as a joke," said North Smithfield Town Administrator Robert B. Lowe said. "But today we live in a different world."

Officials said vandals broke into the water storage facility Monday night, damaged equipment and gained access to a 1.3-million-gallon water tank. An empty 5-gallon bucket was also found on top of the water tank, though officials were unclear whether anything had been introduced into the water system during the break-in.

"Right now we're treating it as an act of vandalism," said Raymond W. Houle Jr., town administrator in Blackstone, Mass. "There was a heavy steel door that was really smashed. You couldn't do that with a screwdriver. I have to believe . . . [it] was somewhat planned."

Officials have ruled out the possibility of terrorism.

The Water Department issued its warning to customers before noon, urging them to avoid all contact with the water including bathing and drinking. Residents were cautioned to use "extreme care" not to touch the water while exercising the safety precautions. Ice cubes, juices and baby formulas made as early as Monday with the potentially contaminated water should be discarded. The Rhode Island Department of Health had no reports of illness connected with the water yesterday.

Only those North Smithfield households on St. Paul Street, Colerick Street, West Street, Fountain Street, Middle Street, Elizabeth Street, Industrial Park and Meadows Park are affected. Residents who use private wells or the Slatersville or Woonsocket water systems are not affected.

Though the notifications were made as soon as officials were aware, the situation still leaves residents such as Thibault, a member of the North Smithfield Town Council who lives on St. Paul Street, uneasy.

"My husband and I took showers with that water, we drank coffee made from it this morning," Thibault said yesterday. "If people gave babies formula made from that water, it's a scary thought."

Both states are conducting tests to identify any bacterial or chemical contaminants in the water, said David R. Gifford, director of health for Rhode Island. Test results could be available as early as today, he said.

Gifford cautioned residents against trying to sanitize the water by boiling.

"Boiling it won't do anything because if anything was put into the water, we don't know what it is," he said.

North Smithfield town residents can bring clean containers to fill with drinking water at the St. Paul Street Fire Station, 675 St. Paul St., Lowe said. Bottled water should also be available at the station, he said. Blackstone has cancelled school today and the water ban is expected to stay in place there at least until noon, Houle said. North Smithfield schools are not affected by the water ban.

Officials began flushing the water system yesterday and it should be clear by this morning, though some of the water may have already entered residents' homes, cautioned Gifford. Once the flushing is complete, residents should flush both their hot and cold taps for at least 10 minutes before using.

Residents can call the Rhode Island Department of Health information hotline at (401) 222-8022 with questions from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today for the latest on the situation.

tbuford@projo.com / (401) 277-7378

-- With reports from the Associated Press