NSW Residents Told to Boil Water After E. coli Found
Hand holding a glass of slightly dirty water – Image created by ChatGPT with DALL-E by OpenAI.
VOCABULARY LIST
Ballistic (adjective) /bəˈlɪstɪk/: Extremely angry or excited.
Example: "Customers were going ballistic when they heard about the water alert."Sweating bullets (idiom) /ˈswɛtɪŋ ˈbʊləts/: Feeling extremely nervous, anxious, or unwell.
Example: "After drinking the tap water, she was sweating bullets and felt sick."Boil water alert (noun phrase) /bɔɪl ˈwɔtə əˈlɜt/: A public health warning advising people to boil tap water before drinking.
Example: "The council issued a boil water alert after finding E. coli in the reservoir."Rolling boil (noun) /ˈroʊlɪŋ bɔɪl/: A continuous, bubbling boil used to sterilise water.
Example: "NSW Health advised residents to bring water to a rolling boil before drinking it."Panic buying (noun) /ˈpænɪk ˈbaɪɪŋ/: A sudden surge in purchasing due to fear of shortages.
Example: "After the water warning, there was panic buying at supermarkets."Go off (phrasal verb) /ɡoʊ ɒf/: To react angrily or suddenly about something.
Example: "People went off on social media about the contaminated water."Fly off the shelves (idiom) /flaɪ ɒf ðə ʃɛlvz/: To sell out very quickly.
Example: "Bottled water flew off the shelves as soon as the alert was issued."Dodgy (adjective) /ˈdɒdʒi/: Questionable, suspicious, or of low quality.
Example: "Some residents thought the water smelled a bit dodgy before the alert."Rogue result (noun phrase) /rəʊɡ rəˈzʌlt/: An unexpected or unusual test result.
Example: "The council described the E. coli contamination as a rogue result."Go on for (phrasal verb) /ɡoʊ ɒn fɔ/: To continue for a certain period.
Example: "No one knows how long this boil water alert will go on for."
ARTICLE
Up to 40,000 residents on the NSW Central Coast have been warned to boil their tap water after routine testing found harmful E. coli bacteria in the Terrigal water reservoir. The affected suburbs include Terrigal, Erina, Kincumber, Avoca Beach, and surrounding areas.
Panic Buying and Health Concerns
The water alert has triggered a rush on bottled water in supermarkets. Kincumber greengrocer Phil Borg said his store sold out almost immediately. “Customers were going ballistic,” he said. “We usually sell about eight cases of bottled water a day, but 24 cases flew off the shelves first thing this morning.”
Lisarow resident Leigh Rijff believes she may have been affected after drinking tap water in Copacabana. “A couple of hours later, I was sweating bullets and had stomach issues,” she said. She only realised the cause after seeing the boil water alert online.
Health and Safety Advice
E. coli is a bacteria found in water contaminated with faeces and can cause stomach illness. NSW Health has advised residents in the affected areas to:
Boil water until it reaches a rolling boil, then let it cool before drinking or using for cooking.
Use bottled or boiled water for brushing teeth and washing food.
Bathing is considered safe, but young children should have sponge baths to avoid swallowing water.
Possible Cause
Central Coast Council chief executive David Farmer described the contamination as a “rogue” result. “On rare occasions, reservoirs get compromised—often due to an animal getting in and contaminating the water,” he explained.
The Terrigal Reservoir has been isolated from the water supply while further tests are carried out. NSW Health is conducting additional checks, with results expected by the end of the day.
SOURCE:
This article is based on: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-05/boil-water-alert-nsw-central-coast-ecoli-found-in-water/104898280
Comprehension activity - multiple choice
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