Menu
Glenns Ferry under boil order
Strong winds that blew through the area the night of March 26 tore away the dome from Glenns Ferry's 500,000-gallon water storage tank, leading city officials to place a boil order on water users.
After city employees discovered the damage Tuesday morning, city officials put into effect a modified boil order.
Notices were hand-delivered to businesses alerting them to the situation and suggesting that restaurant owners "may wish" to boil water prior to consumption.
After last Tuesday's regular council meeting, the boil order was "upgraded" and customers were warned not to drink water without boiling it first.
The following day, city employees went door-to-door handing out the flyers, which included information about what steps the city was taking to rectify the situation, and city engineers were visiting the site to assess damages and consider options for replacing the dome.
During Tuesday's meeting, Cook indicated that the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) had been contacted as soon as it was discovered that the tank was exposed to the elements. It was on the recommendation of that agency that the initial modified boil order was levied on the community.
Cook said water samples from the tank had been analyzed for bacteria.
As of last Tuesday, those samples had tested negative for both bacteria and E. coli. However, with only a modified boil order in effect, city public works employees were required to draw daily samples for transport to a testing facility in Boise; at a cost of $50 per sample.
The full boil order eliminates the need for daily testing, and Cook indicated that he would likely draw a test sample from the tank when regular monthly samples are taken from the town's water distribution system.
Cook immediately contacted the manufacture of the tank, which was installed seven years ago as part of the city's overall water distribution/water treatment plant project. Cook said the man expressed shock and disbelief when told that the roof had blown off the 56-foot tall water tank.
The tin dome, was secured to the steel water tank with about twelve ¾- to 1-inch bolts. It is possible vibration created by the wind caused the nuts to dislodge from the bolts, Cook indicated. He said the dome rolled and bounced before coming to a halt about 75 yards east of the tank. Cook said there is no indication of foul-play.
An antenna that sat atop the dome and transmits data between the tank and the water treatment plant was destroyed. City public works employees will manually monitor the water treatment plant until the dome and telemetry system are replaced.
A rooftop vent used to ventilate harmful gases and equalize the pressure inside the storage reservoir was smashed.
Cook also reported that a few panels on the tank were damaged when the dome was torn away.
The wind was blowing from the north northwest Sunday evening at a sustained velocity of 25 miles per hour. The peak gust reported for Sunday was 35 mph.
Winds continued through Monday, increasing to 28 mph, with a peak gust of 40 mph recorded at 11 p.m. that night. Wind velocities are taken from a weather station in Mountain Home, Carrington indicated.
An old tank that sits to the east of the damaged storage reservoir was taken out of service when the new reservoir was placed on-line. That facility would need to be disinfected, replumbed and tested for contaminates before it was put into service, Cook said.
Bypassing the water storage reservoir is not an option, Cook indicated. Water is pumped from the treatment plant to the tank then gravity fed into town. Pressure created by gravity flow is necessary to operate the water system effectively, Cook noted.
The boil order will remain in effect until repairs can be made to the tank. Residents are asked not to drink or use water for cooking unless it is first boiled.