Grapeview School boil water advisory in effect

A boil water advisory for the Grapeview School District, issued Nov. 8 due to E. coli, is still in effect, according to the state Department of Health.

Pumps recently installed in a well that supplies water for the school may have allowed the contamination, Superintendent Gerald Grubbs told the Herald in an email.

Students are receiving sack lunches from the kitchen until the advisory is lifted, he said.

The school’s kitchen has been closed by Mason County Public Health due to the advisory, Environmental Health Manager Ian Tracy told the Herald.

The kitchen can open once the advisory is lifted, he said.

The school is also handing out bottled water.

“We have shut down the water fountains and provided bottled water for everyone,” Grubbs said.

“Samples collected on November 6 and November 8 have shown the presence of total coliform and E. coli bacteria,” according to a statement Grubbs posted on the school’s website.

Chlorine has been added to the reservoir to kill any bacteria, chlorinated water will be flushed through the piping in the buildings to remove any bacteria and the well and reservoir will be inspected by the DOH Office of Drinking Water, Grubbs said.

“Once any deficiencies have been corrected and all the chlorine has been removed, additional water samples will be collected. All the samples must have satisfactory results before this boil water advisory will be lifted,” according to the statement.

Grubbs said the school hired a new company to treat the well and they started on Monday.

“This week we will go through the process of treatment and testing with the hope of our water system being fully functional by Monday the 25th,” according to Grubbs.

The school’s water system management company detected the bacteria, Tracy said.

“E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal waste. Human pathogens in these wastes can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a greater health risk for infants, young children, the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems,” according to the statement.