Whoops: Salem Officials Say the Tap Water Still Isn’t Safe to Drink

Oregon's capital city re-instated a "do not drink" advisory today.

The cyanotoxins are back.

Four days after lifting a citywide "do not drink" tap water advisory, Salem officials have reinstated an alert of contamination.

"Results from water quality sample received Wednesday morning," a city release reads, "indicate that cyanotoxins are present in the City of Salem's water distribution system at levels that exceed Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for children and vulnerable populations."

An initial advisory first went out May 29—to some confusion—four days after officials received word from an out of state lab that an algae bloom in Detroit Reservoir, the city's water source, had added cyanotoxins to the city's water supply.

Related: Bottled Water Is Selling for Nearly 50 Bucks a Case After a Panic in Oregon's Capital City

Panicked Salem residents bought out local store's supplies of bottled water hours after the advisory was issued, prompting Gov. Kate Brown to declare a state of emergency and call in the National Guard to set up water distribution tanks.

Related: The National Guard Is Handing Out Drinking Water at a Bowling Alley and a Chevy Dealership as Algae Bloom Continues to Grip Oregon's Capital

According to U.S Forest Service Detroit district ranger Grady McMahan, the prolific algae bloom may be due to May's unusually hot and dry weather.

"In most years," McMahan told the Statesman Journal, "we get some rain that helps dissipate the bloom and kind of clear out the lake. But this year we just didn't get the rain—it was sunny and dry for an entire month which probably helped it."

Salem officials say in today's release that they are working to once again set up water distribution sites for those affected by the advisory—children, elderly, pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems and pets.

Exposure to cyanotoxins can lead to vomiting, stomach upset, diarrhea, and liver and kidney damage.

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