Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
One of Colton’s three wells has been shut down due to E. Coli contamination found in a test sample. After a sample turned up coliform bacteria on May 15, further testing showed evidence of E. Coli in the well.
An engineer from the Washington State Department of Health arrived June 4 and directed the town to disinfect the well.
Strom Electric of Troy, Idaho, has been hired for the job, and Colton Mayor Jerry Weber expects the outfit to do the work this week.
“We’re just following the procedures,” said Mayor Weber. “There shouldn’t be any worry with our water.”
Colton Public Works Director Steve Bremer drew samples from the town’s wells and sent them to a laboratory in Cheney, as is standard practice.
Well No. 1’s sample came back with evidence of coliform bacteria.
Bremer re-tested the water system May 23 and one test in one well came back with the presence of E. Coli, which is a variety of coliform bacteria.
The 140-foot well was immediately shut down and five more samples were pulled from the water system June 5.
All came back clean.
“The water that people are receiving now has been tested and re-tested,” said Carolyn Cox, public information coordinator for the Washington State Department of Health. “It meets safe drinking water standards.”
After the positive E. Coli test, engineer Andy Cervantes of the Department of Health came to Colton and advised the disinfection.
The two-day job will include chlorinating the well.
Bremer told the Colton City Council June 4 that the town’s water distribution system has been undisturbed.
“All of the distribution system is fine because we chlorinate,” he said.
Colton’s water supply is treated with chlorine to kill off any micro-organisms after it is drawn from the wells. The sample which turned up E. Coli came from the well water before chlorination.
“We don’t know,” Bremer replied when asked whether they know of a source of contamination at this time.
Mayor Weber said the cost of disinfecting the well is not known yet.
“Once that’s done, it’s back to normal,” Bremer said.
Weber said he is unaware of any prior problems Colton has had with contamination.
“That’s why we test,” said Bremer. “If a test comes back bad, DOH determines what we do.”
To perform a well-test, individual wells are turned on and a sample is drawn from a valve outlet.
Weber pointed out it’s not definitive that E. Coli was ever in the well.
“It could be just something on the test,” he said. “There were five samples and only one had this little spike in it.”
In 2011, the DOH issued 78 Drinking Water Advisories statewide.
“Had there been any question about drinking water safety we would have issued one right away,” said Cox.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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