New Meadows Issues Water Notice
On Thursday, August 28 the City of New Meadows released a notice stating they would temporarily implement controlled chlorination of the City’s water to treat coliform bacteria. Trace amounts of the bacteria were found during the City’s monthly water quality testing. The City’s written notice, and Water Operator Kirk Kundrick, confirmed additional testing was completed to ensure the absence of any dangerous bacteria, including E. Coli.
Coliform bacteria is commonly found on our hands and in the air and even in surface water. In most cases, this bacteria does not cause harm to humans and is benign, but its presence in a water system, or in groundwater, is cause for further inspection as it could indicate a leak or break in the system. In a phone interview, Kundrick said, testing is a delicate process as the sample can easily be contaminated. He said a positive bacteria result requires secondary testing including downstream, upstream, and water source testing.
All of these tests help to narrow down the contamination source. In this case, the possibility of well contamination was eliminated and the cause is unknown. Kundrick says the likely cause is related to new construction, possibly a new pipe or during addition of a line, but the specific cause is unknown. He added that even when procedures and protocol are followed carefully, something can still go wrong.
When a total coliform bacteria test is done, the lab results also go to Idaho’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for review. Kundrick works with a compliance officer to decide next steps. In this case, Kundrick said, they decided to treat the system with the quickest, safe option of a small amount of chlorine. The City’s water system is also being flushed. As of this writing, follow up testing is planned for Tuesday and Wednesday the first week of September.
Kundrick said he wanted to be able to tell people what is going on, how something like this happens, that it is not uncommon, and what they are doing about it. He said, the big picture is this is a light amount of chlorination. He recognized people may be sensitive to chlorination, and affirmed the amount is on the very low end of the spectrum of what is legal in drinking water. He said, “I think it’s a great tool to effectively deliver safe water” and said the New Meadows water system is one of only two city systems in Idaho that are normally left untreated. Kundrick said they are checking chlorination amounts daily to ensure levels stay stable at the low treatment level.
As far as the water condition now, Kundrick said he feels confident now that there is a good residual of clean water in the tank. He said they are flushing the system and moving it through the distribution pipes. The City affirms the water is safe to drink. Kundrick said they plan to retest the water for coliform bacteria on Tuesday and Wednesday of the first week of September. He said he is confident the new tests will be clear of the bacteria and they will be able to discontinue chlorination.
Kundrick also wanted the public to know that all water reports are published in an annual consumer confidence report and are public information. Wells and water sources are tested monthly for total coliform and monitored throughout the year. Additional tests are done when there are any new introductions, for example when the city’s new main lines went live. Kundrick says New Meadows is pretty clean in terms of its well history. An update from the City should be reported once next tests are completed.
