Carnhope Water Tests Show No E. Coli; Boil Rule Canceled

Ten water samples from Carnhope Irrigation District No. 7 tested clear of E. coli and coliform bacteria last week, prompting the district’s manager to cancel a precautionary boil order.

Water district manager Terry Squibb had asked Valley residents served by his district to boil their drinking water after a routine monthly water sample on Aug. 19 showed E. coli contamination.

Health officials now suspect the contamination took place at the tap where the test sample was obtained or somewhere else outside the district’s water system.

The Carnhope district serves about 1,200 residents in an area bordered, roughly, by Sprague Avenue on the north, Ninth Avenue on the south, Havana Street to the west and McKinnon Road to the east.

Squibb wasn’t required to notify his customers as early as he did, said Pat McCaffery, a water quality technician with the state Department of Health.

“He was taking a very responsible position,” said McCaffery, adding that Squibb could have waited to see if any of the 10 additional samples tested positive. In the end, none did.

“To let everybody know, that was our first priority,” said Squibb, adding that he didn’t regret being overly cautious.

Four years ago, the then-rookie water district manager faced angry customers and public criticism when a fax problem, combined with a holiday weekend, prevented health officials and the public from being notified of E. coli contamination. As a result, a few customers may have been exposed to potentially contaminated water for three days without warnings to boil it, a regional water quality engineer said at the time.

While the risk is small, fecal bacteria can cause diarrhea, cramps and nausea, especially in children or people with weakened immune systems.

The E. coli found in the Carnhope water last week was not the same strain of E. coli bacteria that sickened people and killed two Seattle-area children who ate undercooked hamburgers in early 1993, health officials said. That strain, E. coli 0157:H7, is extremely rare. Following last week’s positive test, the district began to flush its system with chlorine, which would kill any present bacteria. It will continue to treat the water with chlorine indefinitely, said McCaffery.

The district tested 10 additional samples from taps throughout the system. Two of the samples came from the tap that had tested positive for E. coli earlier in the week. Samples spend 24 hours in an incubator before the results are read.

Health officials aren’t sure why the Aug. 19 sample contained E. coli bacteria. The 10 subsequent tests, they say, indicate the contamination probably didn’t come from within the water system.

, DataTimes