BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A water vending machine at the city supermarket shuttered last month after bacteria was detected is now up and running again, company officials said Friday.
“As part of our routine and rigorous testing program and protocols on each of our water vending machines, a thorough investigation and assessment was conducted at the water vending machine at C-Town Bethlehem Pennsylvania (230 East 3rd Street Bethlehem PA 18015),” according to a notice posted on Primo Water North America’s website. “After completion of the investigation, two consecutive total coliform resamples were collected and both were negative (absent) for both E. coli and total coliform.
As always, the safety and quality of our products is the top priority. Consumers can continue to drink or use any purchased, filtered drinking water from this location.Primo Water North America
“As always, the safety and quality of our products is the top priority. Consumers can continue to drink or use any purchased, filtered drinking water from this location.”
The company said it shut down the machine "out of an abundance of caution” in early December after testing came back positive for “total coliform.”
“Total coliforms are a group of related bacteria that are (with few exceptions) not harmful to humans,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency. “A variety of bacteria, parasites and viruses, known as pathogens, can potentially cause health problems if humans ingest them.
“EPA considers total coliforms a useful indicator of other pathogens for drinking water.”
The Florida-based company has around 23,000 refill stations across the country, according to a fact sheet. Primo Water's website shows the following other self-service water refill locations in the Lehigh Valley:
- 2425 Schoenersville Road, Bethlehem (Weis)
- 1201 Airport Road, Allentown (Redner's Market)
- 630 N. Seventh St., Allentown (Little Apple Market)
- 1313 Linden St., Allentown (La Parada Food Discount)
- 2323 Lehigh St., Allentown (Redner's Market)
- 3745 Nicholas Street, Palmer Township (Redner's Market)
- 3722 Easton Nazareth Highway, Lower Nazareth Township (Walmart SuperCenter)
- 2180 MacArthur Road, Whitehall (Redner's Market)
- 2601 MacArthur Road, Whitehall (Walmart SuperCenter)
