Well flushing draws public attention

Residents concerned about the water running across the street at Edmonds and Snyder shouldn't be worried, according to city Environmental Control Supervisor Kelly Hale.

She says it's for their health protection.

"What we're actually doing is something we do every year," she said. "We're flushing a well that's down there because that particular well, when it first starts up, due to the aquifer it's in, is a little high in nitrates."

According to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, excessive nitrates can cause health problems, particularly in infants.

Hale said it normally takes about a week to flush the well. This year, she said it's been flowing a bit longer because public works had to do some work on the well casing.

"The nitrates are expected to be low enough to run (the well) in the system any day now," she said.

Hale said nitrate levels get checked throughout the system every year to ensure the water is safe and clean for Carson residents. This particular well, she said, gets checked three times a week to make sure that, "by some fluke, it doesn't rise up higher than we want it to."