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OHA Drinking Water Services
Contact Report Details |
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| PWS ID: | OR41 05381 | ||
| PWS Name: | EIGHTY ACRES WATER CO-OP | ||
| Who Was Contacted: | Elizabeth Turner | ||
| Contact Phone: | 541-537-3210 | ||
| Contact Date: | 11/26/2018 | ||
| Contacted By: | PARRY, BETSY (DWP) | ||
| Contact Method/Location: | Phone | ||
| Assistance Type: | WATER QUALITY COMPLAINT | ||
| Reasons: | SWTR Operations |
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| Details: | Ms. Turner is the new owner of the property at 80 Acres that contains the tank and pump for the water system. There is no easement in their title for anyone to access their property, yet the president of the Co-Op has entered their property without notifying them. In addition, they experienced water with a great deal of iron, and there have been unannounced water outages. I had heard that their source water contained a good deal of iron when it was tested in 2017. Iron is considered a secondary contaminant by EPA and there are no regulatory levels, though there are suggested maximums (for iron, that is 0.3 mg/L). Because the size of the water system does not meet the criteria for a community water system (it is a "non-EPA" water system), we focus on the acute contaminants - nitrate and fecal microbes. Nitrate results have not been of concern. But their water source (impounded Woods Creek) was confirmed to contain E. coli last year, which the Co-op addressed by re-issuing boil advisories for the past year and a half while researching approved methods of filtration. Although not ideal, the continued issuing of a boil advisory does limit exposure to these contaminants, which has been allowed at these very small systems that do not meet the community criteria. Elizabeth suggested that the population may have risen because her household alone has 6 people. There are 10 connections. She was also wondering about the status of the Co-Op because she found the Secretary of State's office said the Co-op was dissolved back in the 1990s. She had also contacted the Public Utilities Commission, but systems owned by small homeowner groups are outside their jurisdiction. DSW cannot assist with these organizational issues. I gave her contacts for both the Special Districts of Oregon, and the Oregon RCAC office. In retrospect, I should also have mentioned the Oregon Association of Water Utilities (OAWU), because they did make a site visit to 80 Acres in 2017. | ||