Corbett Creek Water System under boil order.
(By Staff Reports/Chewelah Independent) Boil order was put in place Aug. 4… Residents using the Corbett Creek Water System near Colville have been ordered to boil their water after E. coli bacteria was detected on Aug. 4.
“We use it as a water testing indicator as it can mean a fecal contamination in the well or part of the system is not working properly.” The well serves 91 people according to the Department of Ecology.
A test showing E. coli can mean human or animal pathogens in the water which can cause short-term effects such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea and other health issues.
Spradley said that while a small amount of people said they had felt ill, it’s hard to trace it back to the well and if there was a E. coli outbreak there would be more than a few cases.
“It could be something as simple as not washing their hands before eating,” Spradley said.
According to a notice sent out to people, the current operator of the system has chlorinated the reservoir and is working on the system.
The purveyor of the water system will continue to take samples and the state will review the results.
Several clean results could result in the lifting of the boil ban.
The water system operator is responsible for getting this work done, and to date they have been very responsive.” As of Aug. 24, the system was still under a boil order and residents had to deal with the 20-acre Gold Creek Loop Fire during the middle of the month which had some under level 3 evacuation orders meaning they had to leave their homes until the fire was deemed contained.