By Mai Ling Slaughter and James Geluso, The Chronicle, 9/1/99
TENINO - Two neighboring water systems that share similar problems may also share a combined system if owner American Water Resources has its way.
But customers of the Crowder Road and Loma Vista water systems between Tenino and Bucoda would rather have their water problems simply solved.
Tuesday night, after listening to 20 customers of both water systems, Thurston County Commissioner Kevin O'Sullivan gave his word to return to the residents in two weeks with some answers.
The Crowder Road system, serving 20 residences, has had a boil-water order for eight months, while the neighboring Loma Vista system's boil-water order ended only a month ago.
In the Crowder Road system, E. coli, fecal coliform, and three different bacteria were found in November, said resident Rose Oram, who made the initial call to O'Sullivan.
She said residents were not notified of the contamination until six weeks later in December.
''He has been under an order to fix it, but he has not,'' said Oram of American Water Resources owner Virgil Fox, Onalaska.
Mike Sando, also of Crowder Road, said American Water Resources employees ''speculate'' the contamination comes from a nearby drainage field. Each of the area homes is on a septic system.
''You cannot have a contaminated well system and continue to take income from it,'' said O'Sullivan of the water company.
For the past three weeks, a crew has been working on Loma Vista's well, prompting the newest proposal from Fox: to connect the contaminated Crowder Road to Loma Vista, rather than repair both systems.
Loma Vista was built to serve almost 70 homes. Fewer than half of those homes have been built, and they likely won't be built if the two systems are connected.
Residents of both systems also said Loma Vista does not have adequate pressure, and has inconsistent amounts of chlorine.
They added the pH level in the wells is unbalanced, causing copper pipes to erode into water the residents use.
Lee Taylor, who has lived on Crowder Road since 1982, said he has repeatedly replaced hot water tanks, pipes, washing machines and other water-related items because of the high acid level.
''Everyone with copper pipes has this problem,'' added Jo Ann Melius, the meeting's hostess in Loma Vista.
Some of those in attendance even brought their billing statements, all of which had ''estimated'' handwritten and highlighted above the price.
Bonnie Holden said she called American Water Resources and was told the construction prevented employees from reading the meters, causing them to instead estimate the amount of water used at each Tenino-area residence.
But, she said, there was no construction.
''Every other month he throws in these estimated amounts,'' Taylor said. ''He's not even reading the meters.''
Residents of both systems have also been paying a $4.54 surcharge since April 28. The residents will pay the monthly fee for five years for repairs on 13 of the small American Water Resources systems.
But partly because of the surcharge, the water systems' regulatory body, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, recently denied Fox the right to raise water rates.
Fox argues he needs additional money from the increase to be able to fulfill Department of Health requirements.
But the commission says Fox has it backward. The repairs must be completed before the system may raise the rates.
''My concern is, if it's going to put pressure on this guy ... I don't want him filing bankruptcy and leaving us high and dry,'' said Rachel Weed of Loma Vista.
She pointed out Fox maintains he does not have the money to fix the system, yet he has 150 small systems throughout the area he has managed to purchase.
At the same time, she said, Loma Vista and Crowder Road property values are dropping and residents are unable to sell their homes because of the water systems' red operating permits.
Mortgage companies are prohibited from loaning money for a house on a water system under a red operating permit, said Karen Klocke, regional compliance manager for the Department of Health's drinking water division.
The American Water Resources systems in Valley Meadows, off Jackson Highway south of Chehalis, and in Prairie Villa in Thurston County, also have red operating permits.
Mai Ling Slaughter can be reached by e-mail at news@chronline.com or by telephoning 807-8237. James Geluso can be reached by e-mail at burn@chronline.com or by telephoning 807-8231.
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