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Concerns increasing about sanitation
of city water on the North Side
July 17, 2014
Concerns are being increasingly raised by many residents of Bonners Ferry's North Side about the clean and sanitary state of their household and drinking water.

Apparently rodents, including mice and possibly snakes, are getting into the North Side water tank. Further, the city was formally notified of this problem in a written letter from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality dating back to at least 2009. Now, five years later, the same problem continues, according to city water officials who discussed the issue at the Bonners Ferry City Council meeting last night, July 16.

Somehow, this problem, even though going on for several years, has flown under the radar with little public awareness until recent weeks, even though, according to Bonners Ferry Mayor David Anderson, the problem has been openly discussed from time to time in multiple City Council meetings.

As word of the issue has gradually spread, people who live and work on the North Side have increasingly become more vocal, and several made their feelings known at last night's City Council meeting.

DEQ Documented Deficiencies Years Ago
A December 2009 letter from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality was sent to the City of Bonners Ferry shortly after a Sanitary Survey of the city's water system had been completed. That 2009 letter, a copy of which was obtained by NewsBF, notes four "Significant Deficiencies" of the city water system. One of those deficiencies listed by the DEQ was "The North Water Tank had signs of rodents inside the reservoir. The reservoir must be modified to ensure rodents cannot enter the reservoir, and cleaned to ensure existing debris cannot cause human health concerns."

At Wednesday's City Council meeting, city water officials acknowledged that in spite of various remediation efforts made to solve this problem, the rodent problem continues. The most recent inspection of the North Side tank, completed just a few days ago, continued to show rodents present inside the tank.

Citizens Make Their Comments
At Tuesday's City Council meeting, the very first citizen comment made during the time alloted by the Council for public input indicated that this problem has now become two-fold: the sanitation issue, and an issue of trust with those charged with maintaining the integrity of the water system.

"To find out about it the way we did doesn't make sense," stated North Side resident Kirk Dixon during the public comment portion of the meeting.

"I am concerned, and so are a lot of other people," said Dorothy Smith, also of the North Side.

City Officials Respond to Concerns
City officials explained that they have not been ignoring this issue. Mayor Anderson stated that it has been openly discussed in City Council meetings on previous occasions, and in fact several different efforts have been made over the years to solve the problem. Those efforts have included cutting back weeds and foliage near the water tank, installing screens, and trying to locate and seal any potential rodent entry points.

City officials further indicated that there are always many projects and competing priorities throughout the city, all of which require attention and resources along with the North Side tank issue. City leaders are constantly making decisions regarding which priority to address.

Regarding the North Side water tank, city crews would implement efforts to solve the rodent problem. Once completed, city resources would be next directed toward a different issue or project. As time passed, they would find that the previous efforts at the tank had not succeeded, necessitating additional, ongoing efforts on the North Side tank.

Said Mayor Anderson: "There are demands coming at you from all directions. . . you set a priority and hope for the best, and in this case it didn't happen. In this case we've got a structure that just doesn't hold up, it's not going to hold rodents out, and yes, we're at the point where it's going to have to be fixed no matter what it costs."

That cost may be in the neighborhood of $100,000, said city water officials in attendance at the meeting. It appears the main fix would be putting a new cap on top of the tank, along with any other tank work and structural beefing up that would be necessary to install the new cap.

City Council member Connie Wells pointed out that in spite of the problem, the water from that tank is tested very frequently, and has always been found to fall within state requirements for water quality and sanitation, stressing that the drinking water has been safe.

Not Just a Health Issue
Council member Ron Smith said that he and his family live on the North Side, and added, "I don't want rodents in the water that comes out of the spigot in my house, whether that's a safety issue or not a safety issue."

Mr. Smith stated further: "I think there needs to be something go out so that the people on all the city water are assured that we're not going to have mice running through our water, I don't care whether it's a health hazard or a non-health hazard. I don't want mice, or rodents, or whatever you want to call the critters, in the system. And it sounds to me like whatever you're talking about now [to solve the problem] should have been started a long time ago to keep that from happening."

Special Meeting Set
Mayor Anderson recommended that a special public meeting be held to allow for full citizen discussion and to provide complete information on this issue. This would be the only topic of discussion at that meeting. City officials attending the meeting could hear concerns from Bonners Ferry residents, answer questions, and outline what the city is now doing along with upcoming plans to resolve this North Side water issue.

The council concurred with the Mayor's recommendation, and the meeting was scheduled for next week, Tuesday, July 22, at 7:00 p.m., at City Hall. The public is invited to attend that meeting to express their thoughts and hear the city's plans for the problem.
 
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