Sun Tides, a mobile home community near Gleed, has clean water again.
More than two months after residents were informed of E. coli in the community’s well, the Washington State Department of Health said the community’s water system was in the clear.
Joseph Perkins, coliform program manager with the DOH’s Office of Drinking Water, has been working with landlords Hurst & Son since November.
“The system has made repairs to the source, disinfected and collected two sets of satisfactory samples,” he said. “The advisory is being lifted, and source assessment monitoring will begin.”
E. coli is a bacteria that can pollute water systems after exposure to fecal matter from warm-blooded animals. Symptoms of infection include diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches and vomiting.
Residents of Sun Tides received a boil water advisory Nov. 18, directing residents to boil water used for cooking or drinking. The community has about 50 mobile home lots and is primarily for residents over the age of 55, many of whom are on fixed incomes.
Sun Tides community members contacted the Yakima Herald-Republic and said they were purchasing bottled water, an additional expense.
Residents did not receive any compensation, said Hurst & Son field manager Levi Black, because residents could still drink the water after boiling.
One resident, Katherine, said several residents received a credit on their most recent rent bill, but there was no explanation included. The amount of the discount varied between residents. She did not provide her last name for fear of retaliation.
“Everybody here received different notifications,” Katherine said. “We don’t know what’s going on.”
She added that residents had not received any notice from Hurst & Son regarding the boil water advisory as of Monday evening. Residents have not resumed using tap water because they are still unsure if it is safe, Katherine said.
Residents have said they need more and clearer communication. Katherine said she was unsure what the rent reduction was for, making it difficult to plan for the future.
“It leaves us all hanging. We’re all in limbo,” she added.
Black said the property manager at Sun Tides had been updated and that residents should have received or should soon receive notice that the water is now safe to drink.
“As I understand it, the test results are clean, the DOH has given us the all clear,” he said.
Black added that this is the first time Hurst & Son has dealt with this problem at one of their properties. The Port Orchard-based company owns more than 60 manufactured home communities in Washington and Idaho. Black said Hurst & Son is hiring engineers to look at the system in an effort to decrease the likelihood of E.coli outbreaks.
He said Hurst & Son’s size as a company allowed it to devote more resources to quickly solving this problem.
Perkins said in a Jan. 26 email that Hurst & Son had done a good job working with the DOH. He also said boil water notices typically last two to three weeks, although each situation is unique and challenges can arise.
.