Boil order will continue for Greenacres
Some 5,000 Greenacres residents south of Interstate 90 (map) will be under order to boil water for cooking and drinking into the weekend as technicians disinfect supply systems and retest them for bacteria in Consolidated Irrigation District 19.
Chlorination of the affected part of the district should be completed today. After that, two consecutive tests on different days must confirm that coliform bacteria is not present in the water, said Mark Steward of the state Department of Health’s Office for Drinking Water.
A routine test Tuesday came up positive for E. coli, leading to a “boil order” issued Wednesday after another test confirmed that some type of coliform bacteria was in the water.
In the meantime, class is still in session for students at Greenacres Elementary and Greenacres Middle School, although students whose parents are concerned about the water can receive an excused absence.
“The kids have lots of bottled water,” said Central Valley School District spokeswoman Melanie Rose. “It’s going very well.”
Water officials alerted the school district to a possible problem about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, and the schools prepared to seal off faucets and change lunch procedures.
An order to boil water for cooking and drinking was issued publicly the next morning after a second test proved positive for bacteria. Irrigation district employees scrambled to distribute flyers in the affected area with the help of people from other utilities.
“This is not something we just do lightly,” said Ed Parry, regional engineer for the state Department of Health.
No illnesses due to the water had been reported as of Thursday afternoon, he said, and there is no indication the system was contaminated on purpose.
Restaurants in the area relied on bagged ice and bottled beverages as they opened Thursday.
“Usually by now this bar is about halfway full,” said bartender Dave Davis as the lunch hour approached at Mr. G’s Bar and Grill.
Water problems beyond the owner’s control have cost him money, Davis said, and they expect to see revenue losses into the weekend.
“That’s taking a peak portion of our business,” he said.
The boil order affects a few square miles, mostly of houses. But in a large district that includes Otis Orchards and the Valley Mall, infection elsewhere could have had a bigger impact, and been harder to contain, said Spokane Valley City Councilman Gary Schimmels, a water district board member.
“If we shut down all the food service people at the mall it would just be a disaster,” he said.
Water commissioners have discussed installing a chlorination system in District 19 for 10 years, he said. Following the boil order, Schimmels said he thinks the chlorination idea might have enough momentum to go forward.
After a similar problem north of Spokane that left 4,000 Spokane County Water District 3 customers under a boil order earlier this month, that district plans to chlorinate all of its wells, said district general manager Ty Wick.
Until the Greenacres order is lifted, people living in the affected area are asked to consume only bottled water or water that has been boiling for three to five minutes. That means throwing out ice and beverages made before the order and using treated water for dishwashing, food preparation and brushing teeth.
After the order is lifted, homeowners should run the tap until they smell chlorine, indicating treated water has flushed out old water in the system. People can empty hot water heaters for peace of mind, Parry said, but it is not considered mandatory.