The New Mexico Environment Department is advising people on community water systems in Pecos and Glorieta to boil their water before cooking, bathing or washing dishes. It issued the alert Friday afternoon after routine monthly tests revealed higher than allowable levels of E. coli bacteria in the two systems.

According to a statement by the department, the presence of E. coli indicates the water may have been in contact with sewage or animal wastes and could contain disease-causing organisms.

Pecos Mayor Tony Roybal said state inspectors told him the contamination in the village water system — which serves about 2,500 people — likely resulted from a chlorination malfunction. The system has been fixed, he said Friday, but "we won't know (whether the bacteria have been eliminated) until tomorrow when they test it again."

The mayor said he recently hired a diving company to clean the village's water storage tanks next month. "It's supposed to be done every three years, and it's never been done in Pecos," Roybal said. "I didn't know it was supposed to be done."

The cause of the contamination found in the Glorieta East water system — which serves about 60 residents — is unknown.

"We've been working with the water system in trying to ensure that the issues are resolved," said Darren Padilla, a hydrologist with the Environment Department's Drinking Water Bureau. Padilla said the system likely will be flushed and disinfected with chlorine.

Spokeswoman Marissa Stone said the department will send out another notice when the water is safe to drink again, and until then, residents should boil water for five minutes before use.

Contact Phaedra Haywood at 986-3068 or phaywood@sfnewmexican.com.