Editor’s note: An update from TOJ around 4:45 p.m. stated that the water sample collected on Thursday was returned clean and free of E. coli and total coliform. If results are negative on Saturday from Friday’s water sample, then the EPA is expected to sign off and lift the boil water advisory.
JACKSON, Wyo. — After yesterday’s boil water advisory, some Town of Jackson (TOJ) and Teton County staff will be working over the weekend to ensure that water samples are tested quickly.
TOJ Public Works Director Johnny Ziem told Buckrail that he will be working this weekend, and that Teton County Health Department (TCHD) will remain open on Saturday to process water samples. Ziem and other staffers met with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this morning to discuss process and protocol. Test results from yesterday’s water samples were not yet available by publication time. The EPA states that two consecutive days of clean water samples must be provided before the boil water advisory can be rescinded.
Out of an abundance of caution, the EPA recommended that the boil water advisory remain in place for seven days, though that is to account for uncertainty in consecutive test results. It will likely not be in place for that long, Ziem said.
On Sept. 22, a routine test of 25 water samples from around town flagged an indicator bacteria called total coliform in one sample. Ziem said that most types of coliform are not harmful to humans, but sometimes its presence can indicate something worse. TOJ then retested the water from that site, and points upstream and downstream in the water network. Something as small as dust or a hair in the water sample can cause total coliform to be flagged, Ziem explained.
“When you do get a positive total coliform hit on your water system, the EPA requires you to do what’s called source water testing, which means testing the wells that are providing water to that specific location,” Ziem said. “So we looked at that property and we said, ‘Okay, here’s all the wells that could potentially pump water to this property.'”
Four wells were then tested, and three of them returned negative results for both total coliform and E. coli. But the fourth well tested positive for both. The well had not been in production for two weeks, according to TOJ, because the system is not operating at its peak, so the wells rotate and operate in a sequence.
Ziem said that TOJ’s communication department and Teton County Emergency Management are working together to be ready to disperse updates as they come in. The Town’s water system moves water regularly, so there will be no need to flush the network once the results are clear. All water gets disinfected and chlorinated before entering pipes, but the E. coli test came from a sample of “raw” water from the aquifer, per EPA rules.
After canceling school on Friday, the Teton County School District No. 1 has announced that school will be open on Monday. If the boil order is lifted, school will resume normal operations with no additional impacts. If the boil order is not lifted, schools in affected areas will take the following precautions:
- Water fountains will be turned off. Students are asked to bring full water bottles, though some bottled water will be available.
- Bathrooms will remain open with sinks turned off. Hand sanitizer will be available in all bathrooms.
- Bagged lunches will be provided, and hot lunches will not be served. Students are encouraged to bring lunches from home.
