Boil-water order extended in Chaffee

CHAFFEE, Mo. — The boil-water order for people using the municipal water supply in Chaffee has been extended through the holiday weekend, according to Jack Baker, environmental section chief of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Poplar Bluff office.

He said reports from the city indicate there is still not enough chlorine in the city's water system to ensure the water is clean.

Baker had a phone conference call Friday morning with Chaffee Mayor Loretta Mohorc and Councilman Tom Cunningham. Baker said his department had received nearly a dozen complaints about the city's water, which prompted a visit Tuesday. Once there, the DNR inspector found little to no chlorine in the system and issued the boil-water order.

Cunningham said the city made arrangements to have a Scott City water operator handle Chaffee's water plant for the next several days. He said part of the delay in getting the DNR to lift the boil-water order is that state offices are closed until Tuesday.

"It's not very good. But they're the boss," he said.

On Tuesday, a DNR inspector will return to the city to test the water for chlorine and bacteria. The test will have to be clear for 48 hours before the order will be lifted, Baker said.

Baker said complaints of foul-smelling water — residents have compared the smell to rotten eggs or sewage — indicated the presence of hydrogen sulfide.

"That's really not dangerous. It just stinks," Baker said. "It's a gas that can come from the ground. Lots of country wells have a lot of hydrogen sulfide in them. It will come off the water. If they don't like the smell, they can put [the water] in the fridge overnight and the smell will come off."

But he said the gas can also be produced inside the city's water lines.

"Those are things we need to know — if it's more of a symptom or something else," he said.

Chaffee has been without a certified water operator for nearly a week, after Public Works director Eric Hicks resigned, citing stress and harassment by city council members.

On Aug. 21, Shannon Hendrix, a public works employee who had been overseeing water plant operations, was overcome by chlorine gas while trying to manage water plant operations. He was rushed to Saint Francis Medical Center, treated and released with orders to stay off work until Tuesday. But Hendrix returned to work two days later to check on water plant operations, and again Tuesday to work with DNR inspector Mike Tate. Hendrix said he needed to be there because the only two other public works employees were busy with an unrelated water main break.

Baker said Chaffee's iron-removal plant has a "unique type of filter" and the city needed to consider a water operator familiar with such equipment.

Chaffee City Council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday at city hall. Cunningham said he's sure water quality will be discussed.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127

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