EPHRATA — The city of Ephrata is still waiting for the final testing to come back to the water tower. The city had originally hoped the tower would be connected to the water system by Thanksgiving; however, the intensive water testing is taking longer than anticipated. 

“We are at the mercy of when the tests come back,” City Administrator Ray Towry said. “The tank is full; we submitted the tests and now we are playing the long game of waiting.” 

The city had finished filling the tower Nov. 17 and pulled the test results a couple of days later. The rigorous tests conducted on the water will include assessments for bacteria, coliform, chlorine, pH and volatile organic chemicals, as mandated by the Washington Department of Health.  

“We have to make sure it is safe before it can go online,” Towry said.  

Public Works Director Rob Harris said he is pretty confident there will be no issues with the tower.  

“We’ve spent extra money using non-(volatile organic compounds) paint, and you can’t make something there that’s not present. When you're talking about water for 8,000 people, you want to ensure everything is good to go before it gets put online,” Harris said.  

Towry said he doesn’t have an update on when those results will return.  

“It could be any day now, but I can’t tell you exactly when,” Towry said.