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Snake to blame for polluting South Florida city's water supply with E. coli

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Officials in a South Florida city are blaming a snake after E. coli bacteria was found in a water well, a spokeswoman said.

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Delray Beach spokeswoman Gina Carter said the snake was found in the well that supplies the city with water, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

City residents do not need to boil their water, Carter told the newspaper.

Members of Delray Beach's utilities department discovered the bacteria in the water Aug. 7, but samples tested from Aug. 6 through Aug. 10 tested negative for E. coli, Carter told the Sun-Sentinel.

A contractor found the snake in the well before the water was treated by the city, Carter told the newspaper. The well was removed from circulation and disinfected, she said. The well will be retested before the city uses its water again, Carter told the Sun-Sentinel.

Carter told the newspaper she did not know what kind of snake entered the well, its length or whether it was found alive.