Plymouth confronts big drinking water problem

The 220 Benton County residents who rely on the Plymouth Water District for drinking water have a big problem.

In the spring, when irrigation systems activate near the community’s well, nitrate levels rise, like clockwork.

This year, they’re on track to exceed the Environmental Protection Agency’s 10-parts-per-million standard for drinking water by June, making 2017 the third summer Plymouth has had to turn to bottled water.

At that level, nitrates jeopardize the health of infants and pregnant women.

In 2016, the Washington state Department of Health issued a “Do Not Drink” order from June to October for the tiny unincorporated community across the Columbia River from Umatilla.

When that happens, Plymouth’s lone employee heads to the nearest Walmart, across the stateline in Hermiston, Ore., to buy bottled water, 1 1/2 gallons per person, per day.

Ismael Delgado, chair of the water board, said Walmart is no solution.

The district spends about $27,000 per summer on bottled water. It threatens to bankrupt the district, which has an annual budget of about $98,000.

As Plymouth faces its third season of bottled water, it is making plans for a new well, one with a modern casing to keep nitrates at bay.

But it’s a challenge: With only 88 households on the system, the $1.4 million price-tag for a new well promises to push water rates beyond the modest incomes of its ratepayers.

It is turning to state and federal agencies for financial aid.

The district has secured a low-interest loan from the state health department but even that brings a significant rate hike. In a move that is being widely watched by other water systems with nitrate issues, Plymouth is pursuing a Community Development Block Grant to blunt the impact to customers.

The state Department of Commerce awards the grants, which are funded with federal dollars. The Benton County Commission agreed to support the grant application developed by a consultant at a recent meeting and will administer it if Plymouth succeeds.

Adam Fyall, Benton County’s sustainable development manager, confirmed other small water systems are paying close attention in hopes block grant money could help solve their nitrate problems too. Plymouth stands a strong chance of securing the grant.

“That should set them up for a long time,” he said.

Plymouth draws its drinking water from a deep well near a railroad track. It leases the well for $900 a year from BNSF Railway. There are competing theories about why nitrates are contaminating the drinking water supply. The well’s age and track-side location are prime suspects.

It was drilled in 1922 and has endured nearly a century of rumbling trains. Delgado theorizes the casing has failed due to age and vibration. In theory, irrigation water from a nearby farm is seeping in through the cracked casing.

The proposed well would be drilled at Plymouth’s reservoir to a depth of 700 deep, with the top 450 feet encased in a solid lining.

It would go into service in November 2018, meaning Plymouth faces at least two more summers of buying bottled water for its customers.

This story was originally published May 26, 2017 at 4:10 PM with the headline "Plymouth confronts big drinking water problem."