OLYMPIA ¾ Residents of the Riverbend development in eastern King County are asked to boil their drinking water because routine monitoring samples show the water may be contaminated with E. coli.

The Riverbend Homeowners Association water system serves the Riverbend Homesites, consisting of 533 homes and about 1,600 people. The development is off Interstate 90 Exit 32, east of North Bend. The development entrance is off Southeast 146^th Street. The advisory affects only residents of the Riverbend homesites.

The state Department of Health is working closely with the homeowners association to help it pinpoint the source of contamination and to correct the problem.

Residents who use tap water for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, mixing infant formula, dishwashing, and ice making should bring the water to a rolling boil for one full minute and allow it to cool before using it. Tap water can be used for other purposes.

"Responding to this kind of emergency is our highest priority," said Roger Lillejord, water system manager. "We’re doing all we can to determine what happened and resolve the problem as quickly as possible."

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