A series of neighborhoods around Rochester, New York were told to boil their water on Tuesday after a corpse was discovered in a nearby reservoir.
On Tuesday morning, the City of Rochester’s Bureau of Water discovered a body floating in Highland Park reservoir, according to a statement from the city. Shortly after, the Monroe County Department of Health issued a “Boil Water Notice” which listed fifteen neighborhoods, to protect residents from “harmful microbes” which might be in the water supply.
Starr O’Neil, the Environmental Health Manager of Monroe County, told WHAM News that initial tests indicated the water was safe, but that officials couldn’t say for sure for at least 16-24 hours. Over the next 16 hours, multiple samples will be collected from the area’s distribution system, according to the statement from the city.
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The reservoir will not be reopened until it is drained and cleaned, the statement said.
The identity of the person found in the reservoir has not yet been released, nor has their cause of death.
Captain Greg Bello of the Rochester Police Department said that the reservoir was “intentionally challenging” to access, according to WHAM.
The reservoir is guarded by “a 10-foot fence with essentially spikes on top,” he said. “It’s a challenge to get in there without having a key or without going through the gate, so that's what we’re looking into is how this person could have gotten in there.”
