Chaffee water passes DNR tests; boil-water order lifted

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- After 11 tests for bacteria showed no problem with Chaffee's public drinking water, Missouri Department of Natural Resources officials lifted a boil-water order Thursday.

The order was issued Aug. 26 after a DNR inspector found virtually no chlorine in the city's water system. The DNR inspection came five days after a public works employee, Shannon Hendrix, was rushed to the hospital. He'd been overcome by chlorine gas from a malfunctioning chlorinator in the water plant Aug. 21.

DNR officials made three more visits to the city and have scheduled a thorough inspection next week.

"We know there are issues, and those issues will be dealt with," said Mike Wyatt, a DNR environmental specialist performed three of the four inspections done since Aug. 26.

Wyatt said next week's inspection will include a review of record-keeping practices, plant operations and procedures.

Hendrix, who had been overseeing water plant operations after public works director Eric Hicks resigned last month, said the water crisis could be a good thing because it will lead to improvements at the city's 21-year-old plant.

"It's bad for business, but it's at the point where we can get things done," he said. Hendrix has applied to take state certification training, which is set for next month.

But questions linger over whether at least one city official and Scott County Health Department administrator Barry Cook will face any legal repercussions as a result of the state-level scrutiny. City Councilman Ron Moyers said Tuesday he'd entered the water plant earlier this year after a resident complained about a door not being secure. Moyers took photos and notified city officials after the fact.

According to Wyatt, it is a federal offense to enter a water plant without proper authorization -- a rule put in place after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

On Friday, Cook issued a letter to the city saying businesses could resume selling fountain drinks, though county health departments have no authority to supersede state drinking water regulations.

John MacEachen. enforcement unit chief of the DNR's public drinking water branch, said he was "not sure that letter should have been sent."

He learn of the letter Thursday and plans to meet with his counterpart from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

"We don't put these boil-water orders out there lightly," he said. "Our regulations aren't intended to cause people problems but to protect the environment, which includes their drinking water."

Members of the executive board of directors for Scott County Health Center could not be reached for comment. Scott County Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger, who visited Chaffee on Thursday, said the county health department is regulated by the Department of Health and Senior Services but the county can consider ordinances proposed by the county health department.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127

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