PARIS – The state has taken some responsibility for not helping to prevent the contamination of the Paris Utility District from E. coli bacteria, which may have originated from holes in an old reservoir cover, according to Roger Crouse, assistant director of Maine’s Drinking Water Program.
Crouse said that the state may have dropped the ball in detecting a problem at the district before the drinking water – famous in this area for its purity and taste – became contaminated.
After a water test came back positive Nov. 9 for E. coli bacteria, indicating fecal matter, the state ordered all 1,000 or so Paris water customers to boil their water before drinking it. The boil-water order was lifted Nov. 16 once the water system became thoroughly chlorinated.
In 2004, the state conducted a sanitary survey of the system, according to Crouse. During the site visit, a field inspector who was relatively new to the job asked the manager at the time, John Barlow, who died suddenly in January, when he had last inspected the 2.5 million-gallon reservoir.
“The question was asked when the last time the reservoir was inspected, and the note said 2003,” Crouse said. “But what John was conveying and what the engineer was referring to may have been two different things.”
He added that a more experienced engineer may have quizzed the manager more.
Peter Bickford, chairman of the utility’s Board of Trustees, said Tuesday that he’s not sure about the most recent reservoir inspection because Barlow did not give the board many details. He said the current district manager, Steve Arnold, said there is only limited information in Barlow’s files. Arnold was not available for a thorough interview Tuesday.
Reservoirs, especially older ones, should ideally be inspected every five years, Crouse said. “It doesn’t appear anyone has entered that tank in a long time.”
There is more than one hole in the reservoir lining, according to Bickford, but whether this is how the E. coli entered the system is unclear. A water test at one of the town’s two pumps earlier in November came back positive for a bacteria other than E. coli, suggesting that there could be a deficiency there too, Bickford said.
A company has been hired to clean the wells, which will cost between $20,000 and $25,000, Bickford said. This job will be complete by the end of December.
On Tuesday, the state gave the district two deadlines to complete specific tasks, including a June 30 date for a report detailing how utility officials intend to prevent bacteria from contaminating the water supply again. The state has also asked the district to complete an internal reservoir inspection by Jan. 15.
“Principally we re interested in keeping chlorine in the system and maintaining bacteria-free samples,” Crouse said. “If (the district) can maintain those two things, we’re going to let them work through this issue to find the best solution for Paris Utility District.”
Bickford said it’s possible the district will not continue using the 2.5 million-gallon reservoir, based on conclusions from hired consultants.
Instead, the district could make full use of a 500,000-gallon tank on Hooper Ledge Road. Adding this to the 200,000-gallon water tower will give the town 700,000 gallons of stored water. Engineers will test whether this is enough for the town and its fire needs, Bickford said.
Another possibility is building a one-million gallon reservoir inside the 2.5 million-gallon reservoir, which could cost about $1 million. Buying a replacement cover for the 2.5 million-gallon tank would cost between $600,000 and $1 million, according to Bickford.
Crouse said no one is trying to lay blame. “Something should have been caught before this,” he said. “It was a combination of, we should have said something different, years ago perhaps, or the district should have taken action before this.”
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