Water contamination closes East Valley schools

Three East Valley schools were shut down today and about 1,600 residents are being asked not to drink their water after a well malfunctioned in Trentwood Irrigation District No. 3, pumping dirty water with sediment into the system, district officials said. East Valley High School Principal Jeffrey Miller said the school was contacted around 6:45 a.m. today by the water district. The affected schools are Trentwood Elementary and East Valley middle and high schools. Parents are being asked to pick up their children. Devon Sinsley, the assistant manager at the the irrigation district, said the well malfunction caused dirty water to pump back into the system. That well now is offline and district officials are testing water samples in a lab to determine whether the water is safe to drink. Sinsley does not believe the water poses a health risk, but recommends residents in the affected areas using bottled water or boiling tap water. The affected areas where water is not recommended for consumption: Plante’s Ferry Park east to Isenhart and from Bigelow Gulch Road to the Spokane River. Private wells are not affected by the malfunction and neither is Spokane Industrial Park or Kaiser Aluminum.