Walker officials working to solve water problem

Barring any unexpected problems, Walker County residents should be able to stop boiling their water by the end of this week.

The county’s Water and Sewerage Authority rented a mobile treatment unit, which will filter potential bacteria and viruses before the water goes to the county’s permanent treatment plant. In other words, the county will treat the water twice before sending it to customers. Spokesman Joe Legge said the operation will then be in compliance with demands from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.

On Thursday, testers found traces of E. coli in a well in Chickamauga near the former

city hall. The Authority pumps water from several wells into a treatment center on Lee Clarkson Road, behind Crystal Springs Bleachery. From there, the water pumps to customers.

So far, the EPD has not found any E. coli in the treatment center’s

water. But, Legge said, more tests have turned up more bacteria in the well.

The mobile treatment unit that is supposed to solve the problem is a 53-foot-long trailer, which looks like something you would see on the back of a semi-trailer. Inside sits a fourlog filtration system, a strainer strong enough to block 99.99 percent of all microbes floating in the water. Workers are trying to attach the trailer to the county’s permanent treatment plant this week.

The county is renting the system for $30,000 a month.

Meanwhile, county residents are still under a couple advisories. First, they are supposed to boil any water before they use it, just in case the water could have the bacteria in it. Also, they are supposed to restrict how often they use water in general as workers continue to test the treatment plant and install the new filtration system.

“We’re going to be flushing more,” Legge said. “We want to make sure there is enough water [during the testing process.]”

Among the temporary restrictions, residents can only water their lawns, gardens and trees at certain points this week. If you live in an evennumbered address or an address without a street number, you can only water your yard Wednesday and Saturday, before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m.

If you live in a home with an odd-numbered address, you can water your yard Sunday and Thursday, also before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. You also can’t do any of the following:

› Water streets, gutters, sidewalks or driveways

› Display running fountains or waterfalls

› Wash vehicles at home

› Hold a charity car wash

› Use a fire hydrant, except for public safety reasons

The county wells are tested twice a month, Legge said. Authority officials are not clear why E. coli would have recently popped up in the system.

Brandon Whitley, the authority’s interim general manager, has three theories for the potential cause. There was a drought last year, and the water system might have pulled from sources it doesn’t normally rely on. He also believes a small earthquake could have occurred in that area, causing a slight crack in the ground, introducing tainted water into the well.

Also, with recent wet weather, water with bacteria may have entered the system. County workers have not permanently tested any of these theories. They just know the water in the well has bacteria in it.

“Nobody knows unless you can prime in the ground and follow a crevice,” Whitley said Monday.

Late Monday afternoon, Legge said that the boil water advisory for LaFayette had been lifted.

“It has taken several days to stabilize the system and pull and test samples to ensure there are no issues,” LaFayette City Manager David Hamilton said via the release. “Thank you for your patience while we worked through this challenge and please continue to conserve water to help keep demand lower in line with supply.”