HARTFORD, Conn. -- The towns of East Hartford, Glastonbury, Portland and South Windsor have been taken off of the list of towns being urged to continue boiling tap water before consumption the day after a water warning was issued.

The Department of Public Health said tap water in Hartford, Bloomfield, Windsor, East Granby and Windsor Locks should continue boil drinking and cooking water for one minute before consuming it.

The warning was issued two days after a Bloomfield couple discovered something floating in a water device.

Jim Pines and Jennifer Donle said an inexpensive device installed in their main water line picked up the organisms.

"We sat there and watched them in this clear casing, saw them floating," Donle said. "They are still there now."

The couple called the Metropolitan District Commission immediately after finding the organisms which were then traced back to the Reservoir 6 water treatment facility in Bloomfield.

Officials said the organisms, identified as copepods and rotifers, are commonly present in the raw water supplied to the treatment facility. Officials said they're not usually harmful to humans and don't cause any known health effects in drinking water.

DPH officials said the organisms are small invertebrates that are less than 1 millimeter in length, but can still be seen with the naked eye.

The MDC said it is working to determine the cause of the aquatic organisms.

They said while water in the affected area should be boiled before consumption, it is safe to shower and wash dishes and clothes in.

DPH officials said the "organisms will not attach to the lining of the stomach or intestines, nor will they multiply or form colonies in your stomach. Both of these organisms can be carriers of other microscopic organisms (protozoa), but none of the protozoa are known to be a health concern to the people."

The department said the concern is that because the organisms were found in drinking water, there may be a problem with the filtration system or the way the water is stored or treated.

Businesses, Schools Affected By Warning

The water warning caused businesses in the Hartford area to get creative to keep the customers coming.

Jon Aidukonis of the Wood 'N Tap in Hartford said the restaurant's soda fountain was turned off, water was being boiled and ice was being brought in from Massachusetts. He said the warning was creating an added expense for the small, local chain.

"I think with the economy, you want to watch where you are spending your dollars, but I mean, the most important thing is you need guests, and you need guests to know that you're caring about them and their experience and their health to come back," Aidukonis said.

St. Francis Hospital officials said the emergency operations center remained open but all tap water outlets were closed and 500 gallons of bottled water had been ordered.

Hartford school officials said in response to the warning, all drinking fountains in district schools were turned off on Thursday. They said the school lunch menu was changed to exclude any food needing to be prepared with tap water. Cases of bottled water were being provided to each school.

Windsor school officials said water fountains were also turned off in town schools and that bottled water would be provided.

At Global Communications Academy in Hartford, reminders that students couldn't drink the water were in every room, from jugs of water to trash bags covering the water fountains.

"One kindergarten class told me they were going to be careful to not waste water, because yesterday was Earth Day," Principal Darlene Pugnali said. "That's one of the reasons we didn't want to buy the bottled water. We wanted to buy the jugs."

For more information, visit the MDC Web site or call 860-278-7850, ext. 3600.