Cary still advised to boil water

The threat of E. coli contamination is costly for shuttered restaurants and puts a bounty on bottled water

CARY -- Most Cary residents remain under orders to boil their drinking water until at least this afternoon because the tap water in a single home tested positive for E. coli.

The order, which went into effect early Friday evening, sent residents scrambling to supermarkets to stock up on bottled water and delivered a blow to Cary's restaurants. Most restaurants in the town of 106,000 have been ordered closed and are likely to lose an entire weekend's business.

"We rely a lot on our weekend business," said Ronnie Majchrzak, owner of Upper Deck Sports Pub on Harrison Avenue. "Are we going to get reimbursed? It's not our fault."

The town has yet to determine what caused a home in the Coronado Village subdivision in central Cary to test positive for E. coli, a type of fecal bacteria. The neighborhood came under suspicion early this week during routine water testing.

Water contaminated with E. coli can cause diarrhea, cramps and nausea in some people. As of late Saturday, area hospitals had not reported treating any people for symptoms of contaminated water.

Mike Bajorek, Cary's public works director, said state health officials recommended the water restrictions initially apply townwide. Early Saturday, the town lifted the restrictions in west Cary, after officials determined the water system in that part of town was clear.

Bajorek and Andre Pierce, director of Wake County Environmental Services, both described the presence of E. coli in the water system as highly unusual.

Bajorek said such contamination usually results from maintenance or construction occurring near a water line. Cary is reviewing any public maintenance projects, building permits or meter interruptions that might have caused the problem.

On Saturday, many residents said the water restrictions were only a minor inconvenience, noting that they already rely heavily on bottled water. Rest homes and assisted-living facilities were using bottled water for drinking and cooking, drawing from supplies they are required to keep on hand by state regulations for just such reasons.

The toll on Cary restaurants, bakeries, groceries and food stands appeared much worse. Many places had to throw out produce and other food that had been washed or prepared with town water.

While restaurants on the west side of town were packed for lunch -- some with lines snaking out the door -- the rest of Cary was littered with shuttered businesses.

At Gypsy's Shiny Diner on Buck Jones Road, hungry customers apparently unaware of the water problem pulled up to find the front door locked. Owner Gypsy Gilliam kept her kitchen staff busy cleaning and disinfecting.

"Things like this are going to happen," said Gilliam, who declined to assign a dollar figure to her potential loss. "But I'd much rather shut down for a few days than have one of my customers get sick."

Roger Dragan, owner of the Once in a Blue Moon Bakery and Cafe, said he does a third of his weekly business on Saturday. Dragan threw out cakes he had prepared for the day, despite never receiving any official notice to do so.

"I'd rather be safe," he said.

Majchrzak, owner of Upper Deck, said she first learned about the water problem about 6 p.m. Friday when her Pepsi distributor called. While the bar's kitchen was closed Saturday, she purchased bottled water and canned soda from a local supermarket and served customers out of plastic cups.

Two neighboring restaurants, Sweet Traditions Bakery and Bosphorus Restaurant, were open Saturday. Both businesses said they were not notified about the E. coli scare.

"Nobody let us know about anything," said Onur Dilekoglu, whose family runs Bosphorus. "We were wondering why the customers were not coming in."

Pierce said Wake County Environmental Services began notifying the more than 600 registered food service businesses in Cary on Friday afternoon. Cary officials said they made phone calls and provided a hot line for residents and businesses.

Those efforts were not enough for some residents, including several in Coronado Village.

Robert Cook, who lives several doors down from the house that tested positive, arrived home Friday night to find an army of town workers combing his street.

"Nobody officially came and said 'This is what you got to do,' " said Cook, who learned about the order to boil water from watching television. "My concern is that they're so secretive about it."