08/23/07 Boiling Water

Boiling water. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. I used to always get a laugh at the movies when someone was about to give birth and the doctor or mid-wife would always send someone to boil water. I figured it was to keep that person busy and out of the way. You know, a watched pot never boils. But of course it was to make sure the water was sterile. Residents of Melba, Idaho have been boiling a lot of water lately and it has nothing to do with having babies. Their water tested positive for e. coli and coliform bacteria's and they are under a boil order. Noni Stapleton, Melba city clerk says they are not sure when they will be allowed to stop boiling. STAPLETON: We really don't know how long it's going to last. We spoke with DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) last night at a meeting and they're not giving us any indication other than we have to have a series of tests come through clean before they can lift that order. Melba, Idaho is a small town of about 500 in Southwestern Idaho. The water system serves about 300 customers. The problem was found during a routine testing. STAPLETON: We're monitored monthly because of the size of our system. We have to take monthly routine samples and on August 8 that showed a presence of the total coliform. That prompted us to have to do a round of repeat samples. We have to take 4 samples from different areas of the distribution system, and those came back indicating total coliform also. Then they found e. coli in the main well prompting the boil order. STAPLETON: We tested our second well and it didn't indicate any presence of the total coliform or e. coli so we shut down our well #1, our primary well. We are now chlorinating from well #2  we'll flush the system and test again. And this is where we have to have a series of negative tests before the boil order will be lifted. She says they are not sure what the cause is but are continuing to chlorinate the system. So far Stapleton says no one has become ill from the bacteria. STAPLETON: We've had people call but like it says in the boil order the symptoms you get are the same symptoms that can be present in other things. That's no indication that they've gotten sick from the water. Idaho Rural Water has been helping the town out to try and get them back up and running as quickly as possible. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.