By TOM MEERSMAN
HINCKLEY, MINN., Oct. 27, 2000 (Star Tribune Company) — City officials said Thursday that several pigeons living in the city's main water tower caused a water-contamination scare that closed schools for the day and sent residents scrambling for bottled water.
State health officials discovered E. coli bacteria in a downtown water line during routine testing and notified the east-central Minnesota city Wednesday afternoon that it should advise businesses and residents not to drink the water or use it for food preparation without boiling it.
The presence of E. coli indicates that water might be contaminated with human or animal wastes that can cause diarrhea, nausea and other problems, especially for infants, children and those with weakened immune systems.
"There have been no reports of anyone becoming ill," said Hinckley Mayor Tom Lymburner. "The bacteria were found in three locations — City Hall, a lumber yard and a residence — that are all on the same block as the water tower."
Lymburner said the pigeons, including one that had a nest with four eggs, were found Wednesday evening and were immediately removed. Testing has shown no evidence of the bacteria any farther than one block from the water tower, he said, but as a precaution the entire system needs to be flushed with "super-chlorinated" water to kill any bacteria that could be in the pipes.
Because chlorination, additional flushing and retesting need to be done, the approximately 450 businesses and households connected to the system will need to boil water until next Monday or Tuesday, Lymburner said.
Free bottled water is available at City Hall and at Daggett's Supervalu a few blocks away. Donations have come from the store and from a host of other organizations, including Wal-Mart and the Mille Lacs band of Chippewa.
Grocery store owner Bea Daggett said she was shocked when she heard of the boiling order, and immediately shut down the deli and turned off water to everything from the capuccino machine to the "misters" in the produce department.
"I don't think there's panic about this," she said. "But some people are wondering how long this has been going on if there's a nest in the water tower."
Water tested regularly
City Administrator Jim Ausmus said Hinckley's water is tested every other week, but not always at the same places. Mayor Lymburner said the water tower was last inspected on Aug. 16, and that a hatch in its top was secure at that time.
Some Hinckley residents picking up gallon jugs of water Thursday afternoon said the incident has alerted them to the vulnerability of their drinking water. "It's kind of scary," said Tammy Jungwirth, who is raising four children. "I'm not sending my kids to school until I know for sure it's gone."
The elementary and secondary school in Hinckley closed Thursday, but both are scheduled to reopen today with all drinking-water systems shut off and the lunch menus changed to food that does not require local water to prepare. "I think we're going to be just fine," said Denise Ellingson, a sixth-grade teacher.
One of the city's largest water users is Grand Casino Hinckley, which continued operations but immediately shut down its four restaurants after hearing about the downtown contamination late Wednesday afternoon. Darlene Hirschhorn , casino vice president of marketing, said the company took the health warning seriously and has provided bottled water and canned beverages for all of its customers.
Restaurants reopen
By Thursday the casino had reopened two of its restaurants with limited menus, and she said chefs were using bottled water for cooking and boiled water for cleaning. The casino will reopen a third restaurant today, she said, with a picnic-barbecue theme using plastic plates and utensils.
The casino also has disconnected water to every sink in its 400-room hotel and chalet complex, stocked rooms with bottled water and "hand sanitizers," advised guests that tap water should not be consumed or used for brushing teeth during the next few days, and notified guests who have reservations, Hirschhorn said.
Lymburner characterized the problem as "very localized" and thanked the dozens of volunteers who went door-to-door to notify residents and have been delivering bottled water to the elderly.
"We have a small town with deep roots, and everybody cares about what's going on," the mayor said.
Tom Meersman can be contacted at mailto:[email protected]
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