By Ronald Hoss, The Chronicle, 9/16/99
TENINO - Promising to return in two weeks with more answers to their questions, Thurston County Commissioner Kevin O'Sullivan met with disgruntled homeowners from the Loma Vista and Crowder Road water systems near Tenino Wednesday evening.
About 25 people showed up to listen to what the commissioner has learned about the situation, and what promises he might have for resolution of their problems.
Customers have faced boil-water warnings in the past. E. coli fecal bacteria has been found. The customers claim the systems' owner has been slow to fix problems.
The two systems are owned by American Water Resources Inc. of Onalaska, whose chief operating officer is Virgil R. Fox.
O'Sullivan said he was distressed to learn Fox has been fined more than $15,000 since last April by the Thurston County Department of Health for noncompliance with various regulations.
The large amount of fines makes O'Sullivan wary of possible default by Fox. Eventually, he said, that would mean the county would be looking for a way to assume receivership.
"In a county with a public utility district, the PUD would simply move in," O'Sullivan told the crowd. "Without a PUD, we would have to look at other means."
Another option, the possibility that property owners might be allowed to drill their own wells, is being studied by the prosecuting attorney.
"We'd probably have to rewrite the zoning code to allow owners who are in areas marked as having installed water systems to do so," O'Sullivan said.
Also speaking to the group was Dr. Diana Yu, health officer for the county. She went over the different types of diseases and infections that can result from polluted water systems.
"Never ignore a boil-water warning," she said. "It's nothing to fool with. And be careful even showering or bathing, because with some types of infections, it only takes a drop or two of water on the lips to start something."
When asked about chlorine protection, Yu said that in small amounts, there is little to fear. However, prolonged exposure to chlorine combined with other elements could cause the possibility of contact with carcinogens, she cautioned.
In a news release issued earlier in the day, American Water Resources reported construction of the needed water chlorination system with the Loma Vista plant has been completed. It had been pressure tested, the company said, and bacteriological tests were taken.
The needed engineering certification was sent to the Department of Health Aug. 17.
The release stated the new system will provide customers with a stable level of chlorination, something that was a great complaint with the older system in place.
Ron Hoss is The Chronicle's South Thurston County correspondent. He can be reached by e-mail at RHoss@compuserve.com or by calling 866-4063.
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