Old Fort's water woes continue

By: Mike Conley | McDowell News
Published: July 08, 2009

Old Fort officials hope to know today whether or not they can lift the boil water notice.
Mayor Garland Norton said Wednesday that the state is still testing the town's water. The tests have to come back negative two times before state environmental officials can allow Old Fort to lift the boil water notice. The first test results should have been received Wednesday evening. The second set should be back by noon today.
"If both sets are negative, we can release the boil water notice," said Norton.
Old Fort's water customers are being warned to boil their water before drinking it or to use bottled water after fecal coliform bacteria was found in the town's water. The town has issued a drinking water warning. It will remain in effect for the entire water system until the problem is corrected. Old Fort has almost 750 water customers, said town officials.
The fecal coliform bacteria was first found in the town's water on Monday during a routine check. The town regularly sends samples of its water to Pace Analytical Services Inc., a private full-service sampling and analytical testing firm. Pace Analytical's laboratories provide testing and field services for a variety of projects.
A sample came back positive for the contamination on Monday. This kind of bacteria can make people sick and is a particular concern for people with weakened immune systems.
Although the contamination was first found on Monday, state officials told the town that it could do nothing until the second sample came back positive. That happened on Tuesday. Norton said he was notified of the need for the boil water notice at around lunchtime on Tuesday.
People who are on the town's water system should not drink the water without boiling it first. They should bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute and allow it to cool before drinking. Folks can also use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and cooking food until further notice. Boiling kills the bacteria and other organisms in the water.
Norton said the town's water is regularly tested for bacteria and chlorine.
"After this happened, we're going to test more often," he said.
Officials from the town of Old Fort and the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources are still trying to find the source of the contamination.
"We can't find any water leaks," said Norton.
The McDowell News attempted to contact Tony West, water supervisor for Old Fort, but he was unavailable for comment. A recording for the town's water department states that the town is adding chlorine to the water, flushing the water lines and taking extra bacterial samples.
Old Fort gets its water from four wells.
"The wells are not contaminated," said Town Clerk Jennifer Hemphill.
Meanwhile, town officials have had to deal with a lot of upset people who are wanting to know when the notice will be lifted.
Both Norton and Hemphill said they have not heard of any cases of people getting sick from drinking the water.
Fecal coliforms and E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water might be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches and other symptoms. They may pose a special risk for infants, young children, some elderly people and other folks with severely compromised immune symptoms, according to a notice issued by the town.
If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you might want to seek medical attention.

Old Fort's water woes continue

Share This:

More from this channel:

Reader Comments

Deal of the Day

Most Popular

More Ways to Connect

Most Commented

Things to Do