Cost of DAPC water contamination estimated to be $150,000
Saturday, June 21, 2008 12:04 AM PDT
By Barbara LaBoe
Printable version
E-mail this articleContamination of a well at the Drug Abuse Prevention Center near Castle Rock will end up costing the nonprofit organization about $150,000 in clean up and other costs, officials said Friday. The center can, however, resume using some of its water.
Since May 27th the center has had to truck in clean water from Rainier as well as set up portable bathrooms, showers and sinks for residents and staff. The well and holding tank also must be flushed and cleaned.
The estimated total for all the clean up and temporary supplies is $150,000 — or 6 percent of the organization’s $2.5 million operating budget for its three facilities, said Cindy Jones, operations manger and site supervisor for the Toutle River Campus.
“For a private, non-profit provider that’s all publicly funded that’s just a big hit,” Jones said. “It’s kind of heartbreaking that somebody would do something like this to people that, a lot of them, are just trying to get clean for the first time.”
Jones said she is glad all of 40 residents remain at the site — one left briefly and came back — and said she’s grateful that their recovery wasn’t hampered by the water problem.
The investigation is ongoing, but authorities believe the center was purposefully targeted when someone tainted the water. Cowlitz County Sheriff’s officials aren’t disclosing what was found in the water but did say that even if residents drank some of the water it’s unlikely to seriously harm them. No one has reported illness from the water, and officials are unsure if the contamination even made it from the well into the center’s pipes before it was discovered.
State officials are working with DAPC to help identify grants or other money to help offset the costs. The state has helped the center apply for a federal Department of Agriculture rural development grant that could pay up to $150,000.
“We know this has been an economic hardship on this outfit,” said Carolyn Cox, spokeswoman with the state Department of Health’s office of drinking water. “For a small program, this has to be a real whammy for their budget.”
The center doesn’t know yet if the grant will be approved or what the final amount will be. The center also has insurance, but it won’t cover all costs, Jones said.
Friday, the center was allowed to start using water in its holding tank for such purposes as flushing toilets and — provided the water is heated — washing clothes and dishes. The water in the tank was trucked in and did not come from the well. Center residents still must use portable showers and sinks, however, and cannot drink the water from the tank.
The center’s well is being flushed and next week tests will be conducted on the center’s water system — such as pipes and faucets — to see if they’re clean of contaminates. If those tests come back clean, the center should be able to start using water normally. There is no anticipated date for the test results because it depends on the labs conducting the work, Cox said.
The contamination took place during the Memorial Day weekend and was discovered when a worker noticed vandalism to the wellhead.
Past Month's Most Commented Stories