By David Lewis

May 2023 print edition

 

All of civilization is built on the use of water, its quality examined by our senses – taste, smell, appearance, and temperature. We are fortunate in that Stevens County has multiple sources for water, with natural springs, streams, rivers, underground aquifers, and local wells. But the quality of water from all sources is not the same, and therein lies the problem for Hunters Water District (HWD). HWD currently serves 60 customers along Hwy 25 in Hunters, which includes a mix of property owners, small businesses, Columbia School District, and renters. Recent test results revealed arsenic at double the acceptable level set by the EPA and Department of Health for drinking water. HWD customers have been made aware of this problem by letter, contract or word of mouth and HWD will require major upgrades to fix the problem. 

 

Julie is a renter who recently moved into the Senior Housing Apartments in Hunters. As she went through the move-in process with her landlord (Rural Resources), she was told towards the end of the move-in not to drink the water as it contained arsenic. The landlord said the problem was being addressed by the HWD. Julie said she cooks, washes clothes and showers with her tap water and that it is clear and contains no sediment. 

 

Jessica Newberry, an HWD board member and HWD water user, has chosen to install a double filtration system that requires her to change her filters every two weeks in order to filter out the sediment and arsenic. Many in the community wouldn’t be able to afford this type of home filtration system. Newberry uses a well for livestock and gardening, but says it is against regulations in HWD to plumb a well while using HWD water.  The procedure is called cross connection.

 

Clean drinking water is a major concern for Columbia School District (CSD), the biggest HWD client. When CSD was notified about the issue of arsenic in the water, Superintendent Greg Price brought in bottled water for drinking and began searching for ways to make the tap water safe. Price spoke with many different agencies to find a solution.

 

After having little success with local agencies, he turned to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in Olympia. Using an emergency grant fund, OSPI allocated $127,000 on June 7, 2022 to bring safe water to CSD. A modern filtration system was installed and CSD now has arsenic-free tap drinking water. Price said they test the water monthly by taking a sample and having it evaluated in Spokane. To this date, tests have shown “0” particles of arsenic in their water. This has allowed the school district to continue to use the water from the HWD.

 

EPA standard for arsenic in drinking water

On January 22, 2001, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) adopted a new standard for arsenic in drinking water of 0.01mg/L or 10 parts per billion (ppb), replacing the old standard of 50 ppb, with water systems required to meet the new standard by January 23, 2006. 

 

The Department of Health states on their website, “In order to lower people’s risk of health problems, the federal Safe Drinking Water Act requires 10 ppb (.01 mg/L) or less arsenic in public drinking water from suppliers that serve more than fourteen homes. When setting this requirement for arsenic, the U.S. EPA considered the health risks, as well as the cost and difficulty of removing arsenic down to that amount. There is no state-wide standard for arsenic in private wells. Where there are no county rules, it is up to each private well owner to decide whether he or she wants to take steps to reduce the levels of arsenic in their well water. DOH recommends that water used for drinking or food preparation contain no more than 10 ppb (.01 mg/L) arsenic. 

 

While reducing arsenic below 10 ppb can lower your chance of developing health effects, it is not low enough to completely eliminate that risk. If your water contains between 10 ppb and 50 ppb arsenic, your chance of developing health problems increases. We recommend you not drink water containing these levels or use it for food preparation over the long term. 

 

Since arsenic does not pass through your skin very easily and does not easily evaporate, it is okay to bathe and clean with water unless it contains more than 500 ppb.” 

 

Beginnings of Hunters Water District

Hunters Water District (HWD) was commissioned on Dec. 1, 1976. Planning and construction began almost immediately, and water began flowing to its customers in the fall of 1977. Two current residents who live in the area, Ray Dashiell and Fred Dashiell, were employees involved in the construction and completion of the project. They dug trenches up to eight feet deep and laid four and six-inch transite pipes 20-feet long, one at a time, throughout Hunters. The American Water Works Association released a study in September 2022 that reported the average lifespan of a transite pipe is 65 to 80 years. 

 

Many of the pipes that deliver water to Hunters were placed under major highways by boring holes under the highway. The current water tower is about 300 feet above the town, and water is pumped up to the tower from two wells (only one is currently functioning). The water then flows down to the purification plant where it goes through a series of filters, scrubbers, and other processes to make the water safe.  

 

County involvement

On February 28, 2023, the Stevens County Commissions (BOCC) and the HWD entered into an interlocal agreement to address the following:

 

1. The current arsenic treatment system along with other water treatment components have failed and need major repair or replacement.

2. The current reservoir and system have not been cleaned properly in years, and that contributes to the quality of water delivered.

3. There is a need to design and construct a new reservoir.

4. HWD has no current site for a new reservoir and needs to repurpose the Community Development Block Grant grant toward repairs to the current water system to comply with drinking water standards.

5. There is an ongoing contract with Brian Belsby of Horrocks Engineers, hired in 2020, to prepare a detailed report on the requirements and costs needed to replace the treatment system to bring the water up to current acceptable standards.

6. HWD has a US Department of Agriculture Rural Development grant to assist with the new reservoir project. This grant also needs to be repurposed to complete the required steps to deliver quality water.

 

The County has agreed to facilitate the above by dealing directly with HWD contractors, as indicated in the following statement taken directly from the resolution for the interlocal agreement between Stevens County and HWD:

 

“[Stevens] County will act as an agent for HWD to repurpose the CDBG grant to facilitate obtaining an adequate treatment system and cleaning of the reservoir and water network. This will include, but is not limited to, repurpose the CDBG grant, communicating directly with Brian Belsby of Horrocks Engineers to finalize and update all required reports to redesign and/or repair the water treatment system, to obtain bids from and to contract with the appropriate contractor to perform the necessary work to complete the treatment project and perform cleaning of the reservoir and water system components. The County will also work with USDA Rural Development to re-purpose the USDA RD funding that HWD had acquired for the reservoir project if more funds are needed. All work will be done to bring the HWD water
system into compliance with State “Group A” water system standards and in conjunction with the state Department of Health.”

 

Stevens County Public Utility District (PUD) involvement

The Hunters Water District (HWD) is not currently a part of the Stevens County PUD. However, HWD issues were discussed at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Stevens County PUD Commissioners on April 11, 2023. The question was asked: “What is the PUD doing, if anything, to help solve the water problems of the HWD?” Discussion took place about the travel distance between PUD and HWD and the PUD being able to provide adequate service if HWD were to come under PUD authority. The HWD is the only independent water district along State Highway 25 (from the county line to Kettle Falls) that the PUD would be able to incorporate under PUD. Several of the National Park Service (NPS) campgrounds maintain similar systems on a much smaller scale under the authority of the NPS. 

 

In August 2022, the PUD received a $50,000 grant awarded by the Department of Health and hired Andy Tom of James A. Sewell and Associates to do a study of the feasibility of helping, or possibly acquiring, the HWD. The report was received a few days before and was still under review with the PUD commissioners and staff at the time of the April 11 meeting. The email from Andy Tom of Sewell and Associates to Darrel Hawes, PUD Manager concluded, “The best option would be County ownership with operational and administrative assistance from SCPUD#1. If it looks okay, all that would be needed would be a public hearing to be conducted in Hunters in late April or May.”  

 

On April 21, Darrel Hawes, General Manager for PUD, said that PUD review of the James A. Sewell and Associates study was not yet complete, but would be discussed at the upcoming public meeting in Hunters.

 

Upcoming public meeting May 11

According to Jessica Newberry, HWD board member, the HWD commissioners are willing to work with all agencies involved to come to a workable solution. The three board members serve without compensation (but receive per diem payments for services and water quality requirements) and volunteer their time to keep the current system running. They are hoping for a course of action to be adopted and implemented soon so all in the HWD will have clean and safe drinking water.

 

A public meeting will be conducted in Hunters on May 11 at 5 p.m. at the Hunters Senior Apartments, where the PUD consultant will discuss the results of their study.