Attention: Customers of Pablo Water and Sewer
On Tuesday November 28th a representative for DEQ assessed our water treatment facility.
During the inspection, wells that had positive e-coli hits underwent a scrupulous overhaul. It was
discovered that wasps had infiltrated the electrical boxes of two of the wells to sufficiently cause the
bad sample. DEQ surmised that the yellow jackets had been looking for water during the dry conditions
of the summer and had been traveling the conduit of electrical lines to discard their dead and consume
the water inside the well. These insects carry any number of bacteria; we were fortunate to have found
the potential source of the contamination. Correction of the problem began immediately; all the boxes
were cleaned, and the conduit was sealed so that no insect would not be able to travel through the
openings. The wells were flushed with chlorinated for several hours. Hopefully this will resolve the
difficulties endured by the customers of Pablo. Pablo Water is required, by DEQ, to wait 72 hours after
the use of chlorine for a water sample. Operators concluded all cleanup and flushing around noon
yesterday, therefore samples will be taken around noon on Friday December 1 st . I have asked for a rush
on these samples, and we could possibly be off the boil order by Saturday December 2 nd . In the interim,
please continue to head the boil order until you have heard otherwise from our water district.
