The residents who didn't receive a call feel their safety was compromised and want answers as to how the city handled the notification process. Others want to know when the city discovered the problem and what it did to alert residents of the potential health risks. Residents want a full accounting of how the city handled the situation. That's understandable.

The positive tests in Washington occurred at the same time news leaked that Missouri Department of Natural Resources officials delayed releasing a report showing elevated levels of E. coli at the Lake of the Ozarks earlier this summer. DNR officials apparently wanted to hold off issuing the report until the further tests showed the E.coli levels had subsided.

DNR officials said they were worried that releasing the reports could harm tourism and business around the lake. The state agency later acknowledged it was wrong in not disclosing the information sooner. The apology did little to assuage the public, many of whom were shocked and outraged that a government entity would disregard public safety in favor of economic interests.

While that controversy had nothing to do with the positive samples detected in Washington, it did provide a backdrop to what occurred here. People expect their government to act responsibly in the event of a public health emergency. In this case, it appears the city of Washington acted appropriately and followed all required safety protocols.

Once the city was notified of the need to issue the boil water order early Friday afternoon, city officials immediately implemented its emergency notification plan. After internal meetings with supervisors, the city personally contacted the hospitals, health care providers and nursing homes.

It also began contacting news media outlets including this newspaper which was notified at 3:22. Shortly thereafter, city public works department employees personally delivered notices to city restaurants.

At about the same time, the city activated its emergency notification system which allows dispatchers to contact homes and businesses citywide or in a specific area of emergency. Calls were suspended at 10 p.m. Friday because city officials did not want to call people after they retired for the evening. Calls resumed around 8 a.m. Saturday.

City officials said it took over 15 hours to contact the 9,705 phone numbers in its system. Officials said they were successful in reaching about 67 percent of those numbers due to a variety of reasons.

In discussing the city's response, City Administrator Jim Briggs acknowledged it wasn't "perfect" but he felt the city did everything within its power to notify the public of the order in a timely and responsible manner. He said the city complied with all DNR requirements concerning notification.

Still, some residents are saying the city could have done better. Some are frustrated they didn't find out about the order until Saturday or later. Others are upset they didn't receive a telephone call. Again, that's understandable.

But it appears the city acted in a responsible manner. It didn't shirk its responsibilities and have pledged to review and access its response and its emergency notification system to see where they can make improvements. There is no legal requirement that cities have or use a emergency notification system to notify residents in the event of a public health concern so you can argue Washington is fortunate to have one that was successful in contacting the majority of its residents.