A leak in the pipeline

The Jan. 13 windstorm that rocked the county left more than 300 properties east of Coeur d'Alene without safe, running water for 16 days and counting.

Claudia Gough, president of the Kootenai County Water District No. 1, said restoration crews have been out for weeks fixing pipe leaks, out-of-order pumps, and trying to restore water connectivity. 

The district receives its raw water from Lake Coeur d'Alene, which pumps through a slow-sand filter into a distribution center and to the customers. However, after the storm, several pump houses and processing grids lost power and disrupted pipe flow.  

"All our pumps were down," Gough said. "We were scrambling trying to assess the damage. By Thursday, we were starting to get a grasp, but it wasn't until Friday or Saturday that we finally got the generators hooked up."

Some of the district's distribution lines date back to the first housing development in the 1960s. Consequently, as the system regained water pressure, there was a higher risk of pipes bursting and water leakages. 

"When you go to pressurize the pipes you find that a lot of equipment is not functioning," Idaho Department of Environmental Quality Drinking Water Compliance Officer Jim Williamson said. "They had damage to their pumps that convey the water and found when they depressurized a lot of leaks and pipe damage was there they have to do repairs on."

Randy Robertson has lived in the Bonanza Ranch area since the 1990s, and in his 30 years of residence, he's seen a wave of pipeline issues in the community. 

"In Bonanza Ranch, it's been a problem for a long time," Robertson said Thursday. "They have a lot of leaks. The previous two water directors have done a really good job at keeping it afloat, and luckily the current one JD (Owen) is the man and has been working hard to keep everyone connected."

It took five days for Robertson and his family's home to receive power, he said, and they still have to boil water to ensure it is without contaminants. However, he is in good spirits and recognized that improvements are coming. 

"The district has been able to maintain the pipes for a while. They've redone the sand filter and put a bunch of money into making that better," Robertson said. "It's getting better, and they have a bond in place that is going to help replace a bunch of pipes."

In 2019 District No. 1 passed a $2 million bond levy that qualified the area for IDEQ loans to improve the aging infrastructure — a project that Gough said is finally underway after finding a reliable engineering company. The district is also hoping through the aid of the Office of Emergency Management and Kootenai County's Disaster Declaration that eligible reimbursements could be coming soon. 

"The district is working with the Office of Emergency Management to tap into federal funds right now and see how much response money is out there," board legal counsel Kinzo Mihara said. "I know last night they authorized another emergency repair to the lines to get some of the patrons water as soon as possible."

One of the last roadblocks standing between the district's residents and safe tap water is passing bacteriological tests administered by IDEQ. Until the water is reported without Coliform, the community has been under a strict "boil and conservation" order that prohibits property owners from drinking the tap water. 

"There is a good chance that the water is good, but we can't just say go ahead. We have to assume the water does not meet all requirements," Gough said. "I know that is frustrating for people, but IDEQ, the Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management, and Idaho Rural Water Association have been very supportive."

Each sample takes about 18 to 24 hours to test, Williamson said he expects the last of six tests — which was sent on Thursday — will yield a result sometime this afternoon.

"When we went through the first round one was not satisfactory," Williamson said. "The expectation is that once we have a satisfactory test then we would then be able to release the boil alert."

In the meantime, Gough and Mihara said members of the community and local organizations have stepped up by passing out bottled water to neighbors in need. 

"The Office of Emergency Management got two pallets of bottled water from Costco for us and also helped us with portable toilets," Gough said. "One patron and her husband went and bought water, and another was going back and forth on his ATV to bring coffee and pizza for the crew."

Gough said she was hopeful that the water tests would come back clean by the beginning of next week, but until then, the crews will be doing everything they can to get back on track for the residents. 

"I'm sure there are a lot of people who are unhappy, but this has also brought out the best in others," she said. "There were days it felt like we were not winning the battle, but we are finally feeling like we are getting a handle on things."

Info: https://kcwd1.blogspot.com/?m=0