Construction accident leaves town drinking bottled water

Deborah Frazier, Rocky Mountain News

Thursday, March 8, 2007

BENNETT - Bottled water is the craze in this eastern Colorado town after a construction project severed the main water line Tuesday.

"You just have to go with the flow when you live in a small community and things happen," said Corie Edmondson, who loaded up on cases of bottled water at the Bennett Town Hall.

A construction project crushed about 10 feet of the city's water line Tuesday, shutting off water to 1,800 of the town's 2,300 residents, said town administrator Matt Reay.

The line was repaired later that day, but the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment told residents to use bottled water for drinking and cooking until tests confirmed the tap water was safe.

On Wednesday, the Salvation Army set up an outdoor office at the Town Hall, handing out more than 14,000 bottles of water donated by supermarkets, soft drink makers and the Salvation Army.

"Thank heaven for wash and wipes," said Patricia Shanahan, a mother with two daughters, Emily, 6, and Shelby, 3.

"It could be worse. The toilets work," said Shanahan, who picked up two cases of bottled water. "But we're holding off on baths because the girls tend to drink their bath water."

Schools and restaurants have been closed since Tuesday, Reay said. Test results on the water won't be available until today.

The bacteria that normally inhabit water lines reproduce rapidly when a water main break removes the chlorine, pressure and flows that normally contain the organisms, said Glenn Bodnar, the health department's drinking water specialist.

"It does turn a town upside down," Bodnar said. "We do not issue a bottled-water order lightly."

The bacteria can cause nausea, cramps, diarrhea and headaches, he said.

Earlier this year, Walsenburg and Blanca were ordered to boil all drinking water after water lines froze and broke there, Bodnar said.

A bottled-water order was issued for part of Meeker after a water line break during a freeze this year, Bodnar said.

Bennett residents should use bottled water for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth and food preparation until further notice, he said.

"We tried to make macaroni and cheese with ice cubes we froze before the water stopped," said Valeri Sumption. "It was pretty pathetic."

Lt. Gerald Koch, the Intermountain Division Disaster Coordinator for the Salvation -Army, said the group will be handing out bottled water in Bennett until it's safe to drink the tap water.

frazierd@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5308