EPHRATA – The city of Ephrata has issued a boil advisory for residents after a water line leak was discovered Monday near the old juvenile detention building.

“They are currently grabbing the samples for the test results right now,” City Clerk Katie Kapalo said Tuesday morning. “They're going into the different parts of town and making sure they're getting an accurate sample of the whole city. Then those are being taken to the state lab.” 

The water samples will be driven to Pasco and testing requires 48 hours to complete. If the results come back clean, the boil advisory will be lifted. However, if they come back positive for contaminants, the city will have to retest and wait another 48 hours for secondary results.  

“If everything goes according to plan and there are no issues, it should be Thursday at the end of the day (that) people should be lifted from the boil advisory,” Kapalo said.  

The leak was isolated from the city’s main water system by rerouting water through different pipes Monday, City Administrator Ray Towry said.  

However, because of the location of the leak, a negative pressure event happened, resulting in the city, per state law, issuing the boil water advisory.  

“The leak caused a pressure change in our water system, which caused the boil order,” Kapalo said. “That's the legal thing we have to do anytime there's a pressure fluctuation like that. If the leak had happened at a different location that didn't cause the pressure to drop, we wouldn't have had to, but because it's the location of the leak, we had to.” 

The leak caused several residents to lose access to water and pressure. The water reservoir refilled Monday evening, though, and all residents should have access to running water. The city also chlorinated and flushed the system Tuesday.  

Kapalo said residents should call the city at 509-754-4601 if they don’t have water access.  

Some residents may notice a lower-than-normal pressure as the system works on stabilizing, as well as temporary discoloration. Both of these are normal, according to the city of Ephrata’s statement.  

Kapalo said the city has started to get parts to repair the leak; however, the timeline of repairs is uncertain.  

“The leak being fixed will not affect the timeline of the boil water advisory because it is isolated and separated from any water system right now,” she said.  

The Grant County Health District issued a statement Monday indicating that restaurants and other businesses that serve food or beverages should be mindful of requirements while the boil water advisory is in effect for Ephrata.  

Several requirements exist for food and beverage businesses when water issues arise and may be found at https://bit.ly/3qAhCci, according to the GCHD statement. They include shutting down ice machines, drinking fountains, produce misters and coffee pots, among other requirements. Ice should also be obtained through an approved source. Produce should be purchased prewashed and packaged.  

Those businesses unable to meet the requirements should close, the GCHD statement said, and report that closure to the district at 509-766-7960. That number may also be used to obtain additional guidance. 

The Ephrata School District has made adjustments to ensure students have access to clean water and that food is prepared in compliance with local and state regulations. 

“The boil advisory is a priority for us. We are taking proactive approaches to make sure that Ephrata School District can operate without issues. We have been in contact with the City of Ephrata, and they have been providing us with updates which we will use to make further decisions," Ephrata School District Director of Communications Sarah Morford said.  

As of Tuesday, students at Grant Elementary, Columbia Ridge Elementary and Parkway Elementary have water stations with cups. Ephrata High School and Ephrata Middle School have access to bottled water. 

“We also had to work with our kitchens to make sure they were following the standards for a boil advisory when they were preparing meals for students,” Morford said.  

The district has planned for enough water through Wednesday. However, plans are being made to provide water through the rest of the boil advisory, she said.