Sewage lines may be fixed today

Launce Rake and Christina Littlefield

Monday, Jan. 17, 2005 | 10:49 a.m.

Ruptured lines that for days have been pumping millions of gallons of sewage into waterways that feed into Lake Mead may be repaired as soon as noon today, officials said this morning.

The four ruptured sewage lines six miles north of St. George, Utah, have been pumping an estimated 1.5 million gallons of contaminated water per day into rivers that empty into Lake Mead. Local officials said the spill should not affect Las Vegas water quality.

Walt Baker, director of the Utah Water Quality Division, said he was expecting a report on repairs from last night and this morning by mid-day today. Repairs to at least one of the four ruptured pipelines was expected to have been finished last night, and the rest should be completed by the end of this morning, Baker said.

At the latest, Baker said the repairs should be finished by "twilight today."

Officials in Southern Utah believe the pipelines ruptured as early as last Monday, but the full extent of the damage was not known until the flooding receded on Wednesday. One of the biggest breaks is right where the Santa Clara River converges with the Virgin River.

According to the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the water's path will likely follow the Santa Clara River to the Virgin River and ultimately enter Lake Mead through the lake's northern arm. The estimated transit time for this water to reach Boulder Basin, where Las Vegas' intakes are, is about six days, water officials said Friday.

Lake Mead is the source for about 90 percent of the water used in the urban areas of Southern Nevada. The water authority provides wholesale water to the Las Vegas Valley Water District, which provides the resource to the city of Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County, and to the cities of Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City.

The water authority said dilution of the contaminated water in the rivers combined with Lake Mead's size and depth would protect Las Vegas' raw water supply. However, as a precautionary measure the water authority would increase the frequency of water quality monitoring and the level of ozone disinfection at its two water treatment facilities, officials said.

Ozonation is among the most effective methods of destroying waterborne bacteria, the agency said in a Friday release. The agency said the water it supplies local distributors continues to meet or surpass all state and federal water quality standards.

The agency said it will continue to closely monitor the situation and take any necessary steps to protect the integrity of the drinking water supply.

The contaminated water poses a greater hazard to those in Overton and Mesquite who are cleaning up after flooding of their homes and surrounding communities, health officials said. The Clark County Health District has distributed information in the affected areas on how to properly clean up flood water and prevent against illness.

Private wells should be safe unless there was a large amount of erosion at the well head or if water covered the well head. The health district has tips on its Web site at cchd.org for how to sanitize private well systems. Concerned residents may also have their water tested by Quest Diagostics by calling (702) 733-3790.

For those working in flood clean-up efforts, it's important to constantly wash one's hands with soap and water, Jennifer Sizemore, spokeswoman for the health district, said. Children should also not be allowed to play in flood waters or with toys that were in the water until they have been properly disinfected.

Skin contact with flood waters does not pose a health risk in itself, but open cuts or sores are more prone to infection and there is some risk of disease of eating or drinking anything contaminated by flood waters, Sizemore said.

There have been no reported increases in stomach illnesses related to the flood waters, Sizemore said this morning.