Sisters water tests "safe"

It is safe to drink the water in Sisters.

That's the conclusion in a report from Backflow Management, which tested the city's water as required by state and federal laws.

In no category did the water in the city of Sisters come even come close to the maximum level allowed for a contaminant in drinking water. The test looked for metals, nitrates and biological contamination.

A new federal regulation requires a report on what's in public water be delivered to water consumers every year. The City of Sisters mailed out its first report on October 20. Black Butte Ranch, Indian Meadow Water Company and Tollgate have all issued reports.

Water within the City of Sisters comes from two wells. The wells feed a 1.6 million gallon reservoir, which then sends the water into the pipes of Sisters.

The city can also pull water from Pole Creek, but hasn't since 1997. A mechanical part in the water diversion mechanism that sends Pole Creek water into the city system broke. Because of concerns for worker safety, it hasn't yet been repaired, according to City Public Works Supervisor Gary Frazee.

The city has Pole Creek water rights to about 129,000 gallons per day, Frazee said. In the winter, Sisters uses from 200,000 to 220,000 gallons per day. In the summer, that increases to 600,000 to 800,000 gallons per day.

Frazee said that the possibility that Pole Creek water could be used by the city is the reason that Sisters' water is chlorinated. The level of chlorination has been cut in half since the 1994 water system improvements, Frazee said.

In the newsletter sent out October 20, a standard caution was delivered: People with immune systems that may be compromised, such as those under treatment for cancer, those who have AIDS or people who have had an organ transplant and take drugs to reduce the threat of rejection, may be at greater risk. So may some elderly and some infants.

But the water in the city is about as good is gets, according to the report.