Officials with SIRWA, Monday, issued an update on the status of repairs to the filtration system at the 12-Mile Treatment Plant. The problems at the plant began late last week and resulted in a Boil Order, then a Drinking Water Warning.

Hy-Vee social media photo

To help with the drinking water situation, Hy-Vee, Inc. announced today(Monday), that it is donating nearly 20,000 gallons of bottled water to southern Iowa communities impacted by an ongoing boil advisory and drinking water warning. The bottled water was being made available during certain hours at the Creston, Bedford and Mt. Ayr Hy-Vee Stores. Residents in the Southern Iowa Rural Water Association area are able to pick up either two 24-packs of bottled water or two gallon jugs or a combination of one 24-pack and one gallon jug for free, while supplies last. Local volunteers assisted in distributing the water in the Hy-Vee store parking lots.

With regard to the treatment plant. The bottom line is, that they need two new filtration trane membranes at the plant, but there are hurdles to overcome before they arrive and can be installed. One of the trane membranes is in Canada, and is one-quarter of the treatment plant capacity. It takes two-days to get EPA approval to import the membranes into the U-S, and then the truck will arrive Thursday night or Friday morning. The second set of membranes is scheduled to arrive in Canada tomorrow, Tuesday, June 6th. Following the same procedures as above, the second set of membranes should arrive in Iowa approximately 24 hours behind the first set of membranes.

Officials say they need both sets of membranes before the needed water for the City of Creston and SIRWA customers can be produced. It’s hoped both of the new membranes tranes online and producing water sometime on Saturday or early Sunday Morning. Both the City of Creston Water Works (CCWW) and SIRWA will then begin the flushing process to change out the water In the distribution systems.

Each membrane trane is capable of 2,000 GPM or 4,000 GPM combined maximum. Officials they they hope to start the flushing process late Saturday or early Sunday. The three Creston water towers will then need to be drained and refilled with the newly treated water. Creston will then flush their water distribution system while the new water is filling SIRWA’s large distribution mains.

Fluoride is being used to track the treated water through the distribution mains. Once the newly treated water is dispersed, coliform bacteria samples will be taken to make sure the water is potable or drinkable. Once the tests are passed, then the process can begin to release the specified customers from the “Drinking Water Advisory.”

As cities get removed from the “Drinking Water Advisory” SIRWA and CCWW asks that the customers be considerate and only use necessary water so that all extra water can be used to flush and get water to the remaining cities who may still be under the “Drinking Water Advisory”.  There should be no lawn watering, car washing or unnecessary water usage be preformed until all customers have been removed from the “Drinking Water Advisory”.

Officials say they are currently checking into the availability of a third and fourth set of membrane tranes. The membranes are made in Hungary and shipped to the distribution center in Canada where they are then shipped to the USA under normal circumstances.

If you are a City of Creston Water Works (CCWW) customer, please contact them to be added to their list for future notifications at 641-782-5817 or e-mail at officeww@iowatelecom.net. If you are a SIRWA customer, you may contact the office at 641-782-5744 or send an email to info@siwa.org.