A boil-water advisory was issued on Nov. 2, 2026, by officials in Center Township in Beaver County, 25 miles from Pittsburgh, after a routine sample tested positive for coliform bacteria, including E. coli, according to the township’s water authority.
The advisory stayed in place while the authority kept testing, and Central Valley School District students stayed out of school buildings and attended class remotely on Nov. 3-4 as a precaution. The authority lifted the advisory on Nov. 4.
A single positive sample of E. coli can upend daily routines for an entire community, from what people drink to how they wash dishes, and leave residents wondering how worried they should be…