FRANKLIN — Residents in Franklin City are being told to boil their water before using it because the city’s water system has become contaminated by E. coli due to the possible presence of human and animal waste.

City officials issued the boil advisory for the entire city of Franklin on Sunday urging Franklin residents to not use the city’s water for drinking or other purposes under any circumstances until further notice. E. coli poisoning can be deadly.

City officials said Franklin residents must boil their water for one minute and then let it cool before using it for drinking, brushing teeth, washing dishes, food preparation and making ice. Boiling the water will kill the harmful E. coli bacteria currently present in the city’s water, they said.

If residents don’t want to boil their water they should use bottled water for drinking and other purposes.

Franklin is a Southeastern Idaho city of about 640 people, located just north of the Utah border. Franklin residents are being urged by city officials to spread the word about the boil advisory to all of their neighbors to make sure everyone is notified.

City officials believe irrigation water may have caused the E. coli contamination.

One of the springs used by the city to provide culinary water to its citizens “appears to have surface water impacting it,” said Brian Tolbert, who manages the system for the city.

Mayor Todd Hawkes said the contaminant was identified Sunday with the help of the city of Richmond, Utah.

The results identifying the E. coli could not be certified with a state agency over the weekend because the offices were closed, he said.

Although city officials felt the culinary water had enough chlorine in it to render the E. coli ineffective, they decided to err on the side of caution. They subsequently flushed the system and issued the boil order.

City officials said they have notified the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality about the situation.

A new water sample was also taken to a state certified lab first thing Monday morning, said city administrator Tami Midzinski, adding that they will notify the public of the results as soon as they have them.

Symptoms of E. coli poisoning include diarrhea, cramps, nausea and headaches. Franklin residents who start suffering from any of those symptoms should seek medical attention immediately. Young children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems are most at risk of suffering severe health effects from E. coli poisoning.