PUBELO WEST, Colo. – Hundreds of citizens in the Town of Olney Springs, Colo. are forced to boil their water before drinking. The town was put on boil order because of a bacterial infection, but experts from the Colorado Rural Water Association are working to get the system back on-line.
                 “We were asked by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to assist the town with the boil order and get them back into compliance,” explained Rich Hayes, Executive Director of the Colorado Rural Water Association.
                 The town was forced to issue a boil water notice Monday, July 20, when the water tested positive for E. coli. A failure of the town’s chlorination system led to the contamination. Olney Springs tests its water regularly, because of previous incidents with E. coli contamination.
                 "Better to be a little more careful than to have someone in your family get ill. E.coli is nothing to mess with," said Betty Marshall, Olney Springs Mayor.
                 CRWA staff arrived to assist Monday, including Hayes, circuit rider Randy Thielemier and Kevin Kirkpatric. Circuit riders are water technicians that provide roving technical assistance to small and rural water systems throughout the state.
                 “Randy showed the operator how to repair the gas chlorinator, and the distribution system was flushed until a 2 mg/l  free chlorine residual was obtained,” Hayes explained.                      The chlorine flush was used to disinfect any surfaces, pipes or equipment contamination by the bacteria. Once the system was decontaminated, the chlorine levels had to be adjusted to appropriate levels for drinking water.
                 “Randy, Kevin and the CRWA Mobile Training Unit assisted the operator and maintenance personal flush the system to normal chlorine levels and take bacteriological samples,” Hayes explained.
                 The Mobile Training Unit is a trailer equipped with labs and a model treatment system. The systems are designed to train operators to use different treatment equipment, but have proven useful in emergency situations. The labs and equipment allow technicians to find the appropriate chemical mixtures and test them before implementing them on the larger water system. It also allows the operators to conduct water tests to ensure the contamination has been eliminated.  
               When the tests show clear, the town will be able to lift the boil order.
                 “We hope to get the system off the boil order soon,” Hayes said.