Sutter no longer needs to boil tap water

Sutter Community Services District water customers no longer need to boil their water before drinking it, a district official said Tuesday.

The state Department of Health Services on Saturday gave the district's water supply an all-clear approval after tests showed that coliform bacteria was eliminated from the system, according to Ethel McElfresh, district general manager.

“Everything is fine,” she said. “Everything is all clean.”

Water district officials notified residents of the community of Sutter about the contamination though fliers on Jan. 7. The bacteria was found during a routine test.

District officials had urged residents to boil their water for at least one minute before drinking the water.

For about a week, residents either bought bottled water or boiled their tap water. The district provided bottled water for several public schools in the community to get them through the week.

“Everything went really smooth,” said McElfresh. “Most people were gracious.”

McElfresh suspects that the contamination came from an illegal hookup to the water system. District crews disconnected it, but they believe that residues from the hookup escaped into the district system.

The district is considering what legal recourse it has, McElfresh said. The Department of Health Services has been involved with looking into the incident since the contamination was discovered.

“They've been involved in this whole thing,” McElfresh said.

Salem Swimming Pool Supplies provided the water district with about 45 gallons of chlorine, a gesture the district appreciated, McElfresh said.

“It was very gracious of him to do that,” she said, referring to the owner.

Water users with questions can call the Sutter Community Services District office at 755-1733.

Appeal-Democrat reporter Dan Witter can e-mailed at dwitter@appeal-democrat.com.