The Chronicle, The Chronicle, 3/5/99
PE ELL - Permanent repairs to a broken water line must wait, but Pe Ell residents still have water service to their homes.
The town has switched from its Lester Creek water supply to an alternate supply from the Chehalis River.
After a mishap Tuesday, the town had operated using water stored in its 350,000-gallon reservoir. But after Wednesday evening, when crews capped the broken 10-inch pipeline from Lester Creek, the town switched to the alternate supply.
By Thursday morning, the reservoir was "critically low," with just 50,000 gallons remaining, said Mayor John Penberth.
The tank was filling up again Thursday.
"Everything's working as it should," he said.
Capping the broken line should prevent contaminated water from entering the supply.
A contractor should have a bid by Monday for a long-term repair. This could cost as much as $50,000, Penberth estimated.
"We've got to reroute some lines so it doesn't continuously slide out there," he said.
The break happened when a hillside gave way Tuesday morning between the town's Lester Creek water supply and its treatment plant, taking part of the plastic pipeline with it.
The slide dropped toward the Chehalis River.
A boil-water order remains in effect for the town because state and county health officials say the town's treatment plant cannot guarantee safe decontamination from biological organisms.
Engineering consultants from Gray and Osborne Inc., Seattle, were in town Tuesday evaluating the problem.
In positive news for the town, the city has hired a new water and wastewater treatment plant operator, Jay Watson.
Penberth fired the prior operator last year, heightening state officials' concerns over the town's drinking water operation.
Watson started this week after moving to Pe Ell from Seattle with his wife and son. He formerly worked at Ilwaco.
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