Neah Kah Nie Water District Pirates Spring tests positive for E. coli, but no boil-water order

DRINKING WATER NOTICE

NeahKahNie Water District Pirates Spring Tested Positive for E. coli and Does Not Meet Treatment Requirements

Pirate Spring untreated water recently tested positive for E. coli, a fecal indicator (see definition below). As our customers, (the residences north of and outside Manzanita city limits) you have a right to know what happened and what we are doing to correct this situation. On Friday January 20th, we collected our monthly untreated (raw water) sample from this spring. The sample tested positive for E. coli. The spring water is treated with chlorine before it is served, however this does not meet the required level of treatment for viruses.

What This Means
This is not an emergency but we are required to provide this notice. The water does not need to be boiled prior to consumption. In fact it is unknown whether any of this water entered the distribution system as Pirates Spring is normally on standby mode as a backup source. If it had been an emergency, you would have been notified within 24 hours. All chlorine-treated water samples collected at Pirates Spring have tested absent for E. coli and other bacteria. However, until we consistently provide the required level of treatment or are able to identify the contaminant entry point and correct it, if we were to continue utilizing this source, there would be an increased chance that disease-causing organisms could contaminate the water distribution system.

Fecal indicators are microbes whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term health effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems. Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms.

The symptoms above can be caused by reasons other than organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice.

You may drink the water. However, if you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor.

If you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, are pregnant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your health care providers about drinking this water. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Steps We Are Taking
The last time water was pumped from Pirates Spring was on January 18th and at that time only a small amount was transferred in order to test and exercise the pumping system. Pirates Spring was taken off line (isolated) from the distribution system on Monday January 23, 2012 as soon as we learned of the positive test results and this spring will remain isolated until that time when the county and state authorities agree it is once again safe.

For more information, please contact Richard Felley of NeahKahNie Water District at 503-368-7309 or at 9155 Nehalem Road, NeahKahNie Beach during normal working hours.

This notice is being provided by NeahKahNie Water District. State Water System ID# 41-00506.