PLOVER, Wis. – The Kidz Kastle was under siege, not by army, but from bacteria. A water test forced the small daycare in Luxemburg, Wis. to start using bottled water, but assistance from the Wisconsin Rural Water Association is helping the Kastle cleanse its water supply.
                 “I sent out the water samples just I like a have to every quarter,” explained Nancy Massart, whose daughter owns the daycare. Massart is also responsible for testing the Kastle’s water well. “This one came back positive for bacteria.”
                 The water sample tested positive for E. Coli and for fecal coliform bacteria. The positive test could have been a disaster for the small daycare. Clean water is a necessity, and hiring companies to do the work was an expense the Kastle couldn’t afford.
                 “This is a tiny daycare,” said Eric Van Laanen, a circuit rider for the WRWA. “They needed all the help they can get.” Circuit riders provide roving technical assistance to water systems throughout the state.
                 “We’ve been pinching pennies pretty tight,” Massart said.
                 The Kastle hired a pumping company to chlorinate the well after the first two tests. A water sample came back clear, but the next quarter the water sample showed bacteria again.                 “The numbers went down, but we still had bacteria,” Massart said.
                 This time the Kastle contacted the WRWA for assistance.
                 “We brought in a 1,000 gallon tank with water from the City of Scott,” Van Laanen said, explaining the process required clean water to be effective.
                 Van Laanen tested the water to get the most effective chlorine mixture and prepared the solution in the tank.
                 “We added just a touch of acid to keep the pH around seven,” he explained. Adding large doses of chlorine can increase the water pH and make the chlorine less effective.                 “They worked nearly all day,” Massart said.
                 Once the chlorinated water was prepared, Van Laanen pumped the mixture through the Kastle water system. He took special steps to ensure the chlorine solution pumped through all the faucets, the hot water heater, the well piping and even some of the rock surrounding the well.
                 “Hopefully that will kill off any bacteria growing in the surrounding cracks,” Van Laanen explained.
                 The Kidz Kastle is still waiting on another clear test before putting away the bottled water, but assistance from WRWA is already showing benefits for the daycare.
                 “Eric has been around a lot and we’re really moving in the right direction,” Massart said of the assistance.
                 In addition to chlorinating the well, Van Laanen taught the Kastle staff how to perform the operation in the future.
                 “He’s been showing us how to do it,” Massart said. “Now we can chlorinate without having to hire someone.
                 “Wisconsin Rural Water has been such a big help. They helped us with the well and they’ve helped us with cost by showing us how to do it for ourselves.”
                “I can’t say enough good about them.”

###

 NWRA Homepage                              RSS Feed  (What is RSS?)                                         News Archive