E. coli is found in the water at plant

Friday, October 6, 2000

By JACK HOPKINS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

TACOMA -- State health officials have ordered a Tacoma company to boil drinking water at its industrial plant after routine tests showed the presence of coliform and E. coli in its water system.

Kaiser Aluminum Corp., which normally provides its own water from two wells at its Port of Tacoma plant site, was ordered to take preventive measures after discovery of the problem last month, a Health Department spokesman said yesterday.

No one was reported sickened by the contamination at the plant, which is now providing bottled water for its employees.

The source of the contamination has not yet been determined, said Derek Pell, regional engineer at the Health Department's drinking water office in Kent.

Officials are looking into whether the contamination came from Kaiser's wells or occurred in the company's water-storage tank, which is being drained and cleaned inside as a precaution.

But the contamination may have been "an isolated incident" caused by birds gaining access to the company's water storage tower, Kaiser spokeswoman Susan Ash said yesterday.

Kaiser officials have switched to getting their water from Tacoma Public Utilities on an interim basis but are required to warn employees not to drink the tap water unless it is boiled or chemically treated because it still goes through the company's water-storage tank.