‘Boil water’ mandate for Lukins customers
Updated: Nov. 15 10:25am
By Kathryn Reed
All Lukins Brothers Water Company customers are on a “boil water” order because coliform was discovered at one of the test sites.
Coliform is found naturally in the environment.
According to the EPA, “Total coliforms are a group of closely related, mostly harmless bacteria that live in soil and water as well as the gut of animals.”
Each month Lukins runs tests on its wells and other sites within the system. Samples taken Tuesday and Wednesday both showed coliform at one of the sites. The results of the second test came back Nov. 14.
All of the 963 customers are receiving hand-delivered notices today.
“We are chlorinating the entire system right now,” Jennifer Lukins told Lake Tahoe News on Thursday afternoon. The process started within an hour of being notified of the results.
The chlorination program will run two to three weeks. If people smell chlorine, Lukins advises people to run their cold water to flush their individual water lines.
According to Danny Lukins, this is the first time the South Shore water system has had a positive coliform sample. This is why the company believes this is an isolated case.
Per California Department of Public Health regulations, the “boil water” order is in effect until Lukins has two tests that are negative. The water will be tested again Nov. 18 and Nov. 19. This means the soonest the “boil water” order would be lifted is Nov. 20.
More information will be available on Lukins website. Here is a link to Lukins’ service area.
Lukins left a flyer on my front door and I would have never seen it except for my neighbor telling me about it as I go in and out my home through the garage. I turned on the faucet and the smell of the chlorine is strong. Is it safe to drink the water with so much chlorine in it even after boiling it?
can you clarify the areas of south lake tahoe affected by this.
REI has a.1 micron water filter for about $75. This filter slips onto your faucet.
A call to Lukins replied with Tahoe Valley area north of 89, and west of Dunlop.
They said it was the Y area of South Lake Tahoe, though not all areas, it goes down towards Camp Richardson and Tahoe Keys
Tahoe Keys has its own water system and is NOT part of Lukins.
Lukins covers the T.J. Maxx center, down Emerald Bay Road toward Camp Rich. It also covers Tahoe Valley Elementary School and part of the Tahoe Valley area.
Lukins may be reached at 530.541.2606.
LTN staff
Here is a link to Lukins’ service area: http://nebula.wsimg.com/4f991427ce27ca1775d9d1274aaa18d6?AccessKeyId=E6354FDF8C3800512DCE&disposition=0
It has also been put into the story.
LTN staff
Wherever animals make deposits there will be coliforms.
Check out your toothbrush for starters.
Suspicious mind, do you wipe with your toothbrush?
no solution and I don’t have that for brains. your bathroom is a panoply of bacteria including coliform.
every time you flush you send an aerosol throughout your bathroom and probably to other areas of your house.
my god-for once i am agreeing with suspicious mind…coliforms show up virtually EVERYWHERE! guess we’ll be snowshoeing in Hades after all!
Coliform testing of our water is mandatory because discovering its presence in a drinking water system is an indication of a breach in the line somewhere and the boil order is a safety measure. When they find and fix whatever the problem is, the boil order will be lifted. Pretending that these safety tests are frivolous or unnecessary because coliform is harmless bacteria in our environment is ignorant and dangerous. Water-borne illnesses are thankfully rare because of this testing.