Nothing to drink to

By BRIAN WALKER

Staff Writer

POST FALLS — Bruce Mullen is fed up with what's been flowing from the tap of his manufactured home the past seven years.

Mullen's home in the Arundel by the River park is among 50 connected to a private water well near the Spokane River east of McGuire Road that has been wrapped up in a water quality saga.

Rental Connection, which owns the park, has been required to reimburse residents the cost of bottled water under an Idaho Department of Environmental Quality consent order that went into effect March 31, 2011. About 160 people are affected by the advisory.

Mullen said he and other residents haven't been able to drink from the tap due to an orange-yellow tint caused by iron, but he has watered his lawn and garden, showered and washed dishes with it.

"It's been really frustrating," he said. "You just learn to live with it. It's either that or pack up and move, and that can be spendy."

Mullen said he has changed his hot water heater and water pipes, but it hasn't helped clear the water.

He said the situation is less-than-optimal because the water leaves a film on his pots and pans and constantly dealing with bottled water is an inconvenience.

Suzanne Scheidt Miller, IDEQ's drinking water specialist, said steps have been taken to rectify the situation, but problems continue to haunt the efforts.

"Approved treatment was installed, however it was determined to be insufficient to treat the significant range of water quality from the well supplying the system," she said. "The water supply is under direct influence of the Spokane River and is not adequately treated. This became evident during recent periods when river levels were elevated."

Miller said the iron material that is discoloring the water is not regulated as a drinking water contaminant with health impacts. However, the particles contribute to the challenges in providing adequate treatment to the water to remove harmful pathogens.

The mobile home park is in the city, but is supplied with a private well.

Miller said the park's owner has requested to connect to the city system and is in talks with city staff. City staff and Miller do not yet have a cost estimate on the connection.

The owner of the Rental Connection didn't return messages seeking comment.

Mullen said connecting to the city's system would be relief to the ongoing mess, but he believes it could be more than a year before that becomes reality.

Mullen was informed last month that his rent is increasing from $345 per month to $355 on Sept. 1. He wonders if another hike will be tacked on with the possible water connection.

City staff has said it supports the park connecting to the city system, but the owner will have to pay the cost to do it.

The treatment dilemma has been only one of the issues.

IDEQ was notified in April that the water pump failed, making the system subject to pressure loss and water outages.

How the progress to fix the problem is going depends on who you ask.

"The owner and project engineer are working cooperatively to remedy the situation as quickly as possible," Miller said, adding that the two are in frequent communication with IDEQ. "We are all eager to see this resolved for the residents of Arundel."

Mullen, who has spoken at city meetings about his frustrations, said residents are left in the dark about updates.

"We have a hard time getting any answers," he said.