EPHRATA — The city of Ephrata is going to start chlorinating its drinking water this year.

Washington State Department of Health issued Ephrata a “red permit” after the city failed to file its comprehensive water plan with the state on time, Ephrata Public Works Director Bill Sangster told city council members at a regular meeting Wednesday.

“We do not chlorinate currently,” Sangster said. “There’s nothing wrong with our water and water systems.”

Ephrata received an order to chlorinate its drinking water by July 16.

“We’re doing our water comprehensive plan, but we’re not done yet,” Sangster said. “And there’s $45,000 in this year’s budget for chlorination.”

In fact, Sangster said the city will have chlorination systems installed at each of its six drinking water wells before the mid-July deadline.

“We will definitely be done before then,” he said.

“Thank you for being proactive,” said Council Member Matt Moore. “All of our tests show our water is quite good.”

Stephanie Shopbell, an environmental health manager for the Grant County Health District, told the CBH prior to the council meeting that the city of Ephrata “last year was told to submit design and plans for a disinfection program.”

“They were asked for plans by Jan. 1, and they didn’t do that,” she said.

Dorothy Tibbetts, a regional manager for the Washington Department of Health’s drinking water program, said the size of Ephrata or it’s water system is not the issue, but positive tests for coliforms — bacteria normally found in animal guts and used as one measure of water cleanliness — in the city’s drinking water.

“They have had bacteriological conditions in the past,” she said, noting 2008 tests for coliforms and 2010 tests revealing the presence of E. coli in the city’s water that led to a temporary “boil water” order.

“They continue to have total coliform hits from time to time,” Tibbetts said. “We require a water system of any size to chlorinate if they have bacteria issues.”

Sangster attributed the findings to construction work, when sewer pipes and water pipes are exposed and work can sometimes lead to one briefly contaminating the other.

“Ten in 10 years,” Sangster said. “That’s an average of one every year.”

However, Mayor Bruce Reim wanted to know if chlorination was going to affect the quality of the city’s drinking water.

“Will there be a taste difference?” the mayor asked.

“I think I can taste it in Moses Lake,” Sangster said. “If you get the right amount, you don’t really taste it. But I think people who like the taste of our water now will be disappointed.”

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at [email protected].