TEMPLE, Texas (KXXV) — Temple residents are raising concerns after an E. coli-related boil water notice was issued — with some saying they were never notified.
- A boil water notice was issued in Temple after a positive E. coli test during routine sampling.
- Some residents say they were never notified, raising concerns about city communication.
- The notice has been rescinded, but neighbors remain uneasy and want clearer alerts in the future.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
“The fact that we really shouldn’t shower, you can’t wash your hands, we’re using bottled water to brush our teeth, wash our hands and do anything you normally can,” said Temple resident Saige.
Wednesday afternoon, the city of Temple issued a boil water notice after a positive E. coli test result during routine water sampling.
The affected area included homes around East Blackland Road — impacting neighbors living here at Hillside village.
“I was scrolling like I normally do and it came across that there was a positive test and it was directly for our area. We haven’t gotten anything from the city yet. We shared it with our neighbors to keep everyone informed that we have contact with,” said Saige.
But Thursday afternoon, 25 News got this email from the City of Temple... blaming the positive result on a contaminated water sample.
Although the threat is now over, community concerns remain.
Saige is one of several neighbors who tell 25 News they never received the original notification from the city.
“I have animals and it’s also scary because I just found out I’m pregnant and with that it’s terrifying to think about what could happen,” said Saige.
“I wish there were some sort of email or text or anything that would have just said ‘hey this is what is going on’,” said Temple resident Andrea Beisner.
25 News reached out to the City of Temple about some of our neighbors concerns, in statement they said:
"The City of Temple has rescinded the boil water notice as of October 16, 2025. The public water system has taken the necessary corrective actions to restore the quality of the water distributed for drinking and human consumption. Laboratory test results provided to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) confirm that the water no longer requires boiling prior to use.The City of Temple remains committed to transparency and timely communication with our residents. Information about the boil water notice was distributed through multiple channels, including media releases, social media updates, a website alert (templetx.gov), the city's online newsroom (templetx.gov/news), targeted Nextdoor notifications, and the Alert Temple (CodeRed) mobile alert system.We encourage all residents to sign up for Alert Temple at templetx.gov/alerttemple [templetx.gov] to ensure they receive direct and timely notifications in the future."
But what would happen if our neighbors did become infected with E. coli?
“There are some E Coli. that create a lot of toxic effects in our gut and those can lead to more serious symptoms so you may have higher fevers, dehydration, and bloody diarrhea,” said Medical Director of Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest marketplace clinic, Greg Neman.
Although the notice is gone, some of our neighbor's concerns are not.
“I feel relieved. I just wish there was a little more communication,” said Beisner.
Sampson-Howard Elementary school was also in the impacted area.
In statement, Temple ISD said:
"Temple ISD was notified Thursday morning that the boil water notice issued for the area including Sampson-Howard Elementary School had been rescinded. Prior to that, the district provided bottled water and water coolers and cups for student and staff use on campus. The school nutrition staff also made accommodations in the kitchen and cafeteria to ensure that any water used in food preparation was safe for consumption. All other operations continued as normal at Sampson-Howard during that time. With the boil water notice rescinded, all operations at Sampson-Howard Elementary School have returned to normal."
