Free bottled water will be available to Oak Bluffs residents at the town library today, as municipal water officials continue to work to discover the source of coliform contamination that forced an order from the state for all residents to boil their drinking water at the outset of the weekend.

Disinfectant has been added to the water supply which serves nearly all of the 3,500 town residents, but the order from the Department of
Environmental Protection to boil water used for drinking, food preparation, dishwashing and oral hygiene will remain in effect until tests run clean. The water department is testing several times a day and flushing town hydrants.

The contamination was discovered late in the week after routine monthly testing found unsafe levels of coliform. The boil-water order from the DEP was issued late Friday.

Meanwhile, a run on bottled water at local stores prompted the town to issue free bottled water, first at the fire station on Sunday and today at the town library.

For information about obtaining bottled water call 508-693-5527.