Indian Meadow water tainted by coliform

The Indian Meadow water supply was found to have coliform bacteria in a routine coliform bacteria test taken on October 29, according to a notice sent to Indian Meadow Water Company customers on November 14.

Indian Meadow Water Company serves the subdivisions in the Sage Meadow/Indian Ford area.

The laboratory notified Indian Meadow Water Company of the positive test on October 30.

The notice states, "Coliforms are bacteria, which are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially-harmful, bacteria may be present."

During the next seven days the water company took steps as directed by the Oregon Health Department and the Deschutes County Health Department to eliminate the coliform in the water supply.

These steps included chlorinating the reservoir, retesting, taking the wells off line and super-chlorinating both wells.

On November 10 the wells and reservoir were retested again and only the south well continued to test positive.

The south well was again taken off line and super- chlorinated a second time.

As of November 11, the reservoir and north well have been tested and found to be free of coliform bacteria, the south well remains off line and will remain off line until "future samples, collected over a longer period of time, are coliform free," according to Lynn Lounsbury, Indian Meadow Water Company Distribution Manager.

The notice states that there is no need for customers of Indian Meadow Water to boil their water or take other corrective action. It does, however, indicate that people with specific health concerns should consult a doctor.

According to Lounsbury, coliform bacteria have been found in the Indian Meadow water supply three times in the past 15 years but the source of the bacteria has never been found.

Each time the problem was resolved by chlorination in accordance with health department guidelines.

"The problem is not seasonal," said Lounsbury. "There seems to be no common denominator."

According to the notice, additional guidelines regarding lessening the risk of infection by microbes are available from the EPA's Safe Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.