POST FALLS - The city of Post Falls on Thursday announced that routine water samples taken on Tuesday revealed the presence of coliform bacteria.

The affected area is north of Poleline between Chase and Idaho streets, according to a press release.

Terry Werner, the city's public works director, said the discovery is not an emergency and residents do not need to boil their water.

"We're not adding chlorine to the system at this time," Werner said. "We're flushing the fire hydrants. If we get into the middle of next week and we still don't have the problem under control, we'll add chlorine."

Additional sampling is being conducted. Testing of water samples takes 24 hours to process and the city must show two consecutive days of samples with no coliform bacteria. When results are available, the city will update the information and notify the public as to the status of the water.

Total coliform bacteria are generally not harmful. Sometimes its presence is detected when dirt enters the line from construction or other activities around the system.

The city anticipates the problem will be resolved within a few days, Werner said.