Wahkiakum water main bursts
Friday, August 20, 2004 7:52 AM PDT
By Amy M. E. Fischer
Printable version
E-mail this articleA water main broke Wednesday in western Wahkiakum County, prompting county health officials to warn residents to boil water before drinking it.
"We know that some addresses on the west side of KM Mountain were affected," said Joell Archibald, Wahkiakum County Health and Human Services director, said Thursday.
Residents in that area should use boiled water or purchase bottled water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and preparing food until further notice, officials advised.
Although initial water testing shows that chlorine levels are adequate enough to kill bacteria, the county health department wants to conduct more tests to make sure the water is safe to drink, according to a Wahkiakum County Health and Human Services press release.
"We're just being extra cautious," Archibald said. "We just think it's a good public health measure until we know for sure, but we don't think there's a problem here."
A citizen reported a break in the water main Wednesday afternoon. Workers found the problem at 3 p.m. and had it repaired by 10 p.m., Archibald said.
When a main water line breaks, contamination from outside the pipe can enter the water system and cause people to get sick. Infants, the elderly and people with immune system problems are particularly at risk.
It has been difficult to get the word out that western county residents need to boil their water, Archibald said. The health department sent three carloads of people door-to-door with fliers, she said.
The "reverse 911" system the county hopes to have installed by the end of the year would have come in handy in this situation, she said. The computer program would allow dispatchers to telephone residents within a particular geographical boundary to relay emergency messages.
"This would've been a wonderful use of that," Archibald said.
County health department staff are investigating what damaged the water line, which is part of the Western Wahkiakum Water System. The department will notify residents when it is no longer necessary to boil the water, but officials hope to have the problem resolved by Monday, the press release said.
For more information, contact Wahkiakum Health Department at 795-6207 or 888-452-0326.
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