By John Henderer, The Chronicle, 4/22/98
PE ELL - With the threat of parasites in the town's water, even bathing the baby requires extra effort for Toni Compton
Because 5-month-old Hailey likes to drink the bath water, Compton bathes the baby only at her mother's home in Chehalis
Just one week after state and county health officials issued a boil-water notice, residents are reacting differently to the order
Some, like Compton, are taking additional precautions. Others say the water system is no different than it was before, and are ignoring it
Health officials say the town's treatment plant fails to filter water properly, and maintain massive water leaks could allow giardia or chryptosporidium parasites into the supply. The bugs cause diarrhea and even death in children or people with weakened immune systems
Compton didn't trust the water before. She and her husband, Kerry, have been buying bottled water to drink for two years
''I've kind of scared my kids into not drinking the water,'' Toni Compton said. ''I don't even let them wash their hands in it.''
Her kitchen becomes humid like a greenhouse when she is boiling water about every other day in two cooking pots and a larger pot she borrowed from her grandmother. The family uses 5 to 6 gallons of water a day
''Don't drink out of the sink! And I didn't!'' shouted Brittany Compton, 4, repeating her mother's admonition for a reporter's benefit
Travis Compton, 7, carefully poured himself a glass of water from a gallon jug kept in the refrigerator
Down the street from the Comptons, neighbor Joel Rieper said he and his young family are ignoring the boil-water order
''It's the same as we've had for years,'' he said of the water
''The town's kind of in an uproar like it was a couple years ago
After I found out what's going on ? it's just a hoax.''
Rieper said he did not plan to attend a town meeting on the water crisis Tuesday evening
''Mariners are on,'' he explained
Tanya Driver, another town resident, said she believes the water crisis is ''a crock'' and a ''big inconvenience.''
''Our water's been bad for a long time,'' she said
Nonetheless, she is following the boil-water order, and gets water from her mother-in-law, who has her own water supply. Her 1-year-old daughter cannot bathe in the town's water because of the problems, she said
Jon Bensching, who spent part of Tuesday afternoon mowing his lawn, said he has heard ''a bunch of stories'' about the water problems
It's difficult to know which is the truth, he said
''I don't see what difference it makes (drinking bottled water), because you've got to take showers and stuff, and it's going to get in you anyway,'' he said of bugs
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