E. coli found in water supply for nine customers in Monroe, city says in notice

Update: The boil water advisory for all Monroe water customers was lifted on Friday, Aug. 15.

The city of Monroe issued a boil water advisory on Wednesday after E. coli was detected in drinking water affecting nine customers.

Around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, the city said the advisory was lifted for about two-thirds of people in the city, but others should continue to boil water before drinking.

People in parts of the city should boil water for one minute before drinking, cooking, brushing teeth or giving it to pets. A city map shows where people should not drink water.

The bacteria was in water in a small section of the city water system near Monroe Fire Department Station 4 at 3907 Old Charlotte Highway, the city news release said.

The city had valved off the affected area, flushed it to remove bacteria, notified the state and was doing testing, the news release said.

Union County Public Health said it temporarily suspended permits for restaurants if they got their water from the city and didn’t have an approved emergency water plan on file.

East Frank Superette and Kitchen on East Franklin Street posted a notice at its entrance saying the restaurant would be temporarily closed until the health department lifted the boil advisory. Downtown Monroe is no longer under the advisory.

This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 7:17 AM.