SPOKANE, Wash. — The bacteria E. Coli was found in a couple of early tests of the contaminated water in Hillyard, according to City of Spokane Spokesperson Marlene Feist.
People living in the area bound by Wellesley Avenue, Freya Street, Crown Avenue and Havana Street were asked on Friday to avoid drinking the tap water.
A commercial hydroseed vehicle that used water from city fire hydrants allowed some contamination to back flow into the city’s system when filling up with water, city leaders said. Before the alert was sent out, a few residents reported to the city that there was a green tint and fibers floating in their tap water.
Feist said they were not surprised that E. Coli was found because rodents are often around where hydroseed is stored. She said the hydroseed was responsible for the positive E. Coli tests.
The city didn’t alert people that the water had tested positive of E. Coli after they had already told people not to use the water for cooking or drinking, Feist said.
She said once they flushed and chlorinated the water, the E. Coli tests were negative by Sunday.
The city is working closely with the Department of Health to make sure the drinking water is safe to ingest.
As far as finding who is responsible for the water contamination, Feist said they are cross checking fire hydrant permits and looking for any video or photographic evidence. She said it’s also a possibility that someone without a permit used the hydrant.
KREM 2 asked Feist if this could result in a change of policy for giving access to hydrant. She said it will most likely be discussed with city leaders.