Boilwater Adviosry lifted!

Our test came out satisfactory today!
Maria

Precautionary Boil Water Advisory due to Outage is being Issued by the Department of Health.

You will be getting a notice at your home today.
I am so sorry, better safe than sorry.
Maria

Power is back on, why do you not have water?

I was just informed from the water operator that the power going out ended up tripping your circuit breakers.  We have an electrician going out there now. I will repost when water is back on, but I am sure you will know before I do.

Maria

Power outage

We have a technician going to turn on generator.

Accounting Audit almost complete.

By early next week we will have our audit complete. I have already started contacting some of you. It looks like a few people's payments were credited to the wrong account and there were a few double entries of payments. In addition to some payments that were paid but not credited properly to the right person's account. You will be receiving a statement next week with the outlined adjustments if there are any and of course credited any late fees if there are any incurred due to the error. We have also started sending out disconnection notices for those who are delinquent due to non payment. We should have everything square and up to date so that we can send the billing to a management company. Thank you for your patience.
Kind regards,
Maria Lindberg

Official Notice to the end of the Boil Water Advisory

Boil-water advisory lifted for Cristalina Water customers near Ravensdale

 

OLYMPIA ¾The almost month-long boil-water advisory for Cristalina Water Co. near Ravensdale ended today, according to the state Department of Health.

A professional water system management company has made repairs, disinfected the water system, and collected multiple sets of water samples for lab analysis. Tests on those samples show the water now meets safe drinking water standards.

The advisory was issued Sept. 28 after potentially harmful fecal coliform bacteria were detected in water quality monitoring samples. The advisory affected 85 homes in rural east King County.

The state Department of Health inspected the water system on Sept. 30 and found a number of significant maintenance problems and no system operator in “responsible charge” of the utility.

The agency worked closely with the system owner to bring in an approved water management company to take over operations and make needed repairs in order to lift the boil-water advisory.

The department is also working with the owner and the state Utilities and Transportation Commission to develop a long-term strategy for the future of the water system.

“We know this advisory has been a challenge for residents served by Cristalina Water Company,” said Heather Bartlett, acting director of the agency’s Office of Drinking Water. “We’re now headed toward a long-term solution that will help ensure safe and reliable drinking water for years to come. Boiling water is inconvenient at best, but we didn’t want to take a chance on even one person getting sick.”

Since the boil advisory took effect, there have been no confirmed reports of illness that could be directly linked to the Cristalina water system.

Cristalina customers who have questions about their drinking water can call 425-736-4936.

We have signed a contract with Northwest Water Systems

You will be receiving a formal notice as soon as the Department of Health makes the official notice that the Boil Water Advisory is lifted.

The telephone number for the new water operator is : 1-888-881-0598.

Their email is www.nwwatersystems.com

You will be having all this information sent to you as well.

Thank you,

Maria Lindberg

Last set of test satisfactory boil water notice will be removed!!!!

I am happy to report that our third set of tests all came back satisfactory today, the only other requirement we have to to sign a contract with the Water Operator. I am working on that right now. I just wanted to let you know as soon as I could that the water is good again!!!!
Thank you,
Maria

Good News Continues! Test results of test taken yesterday all satisfactory!!!

We have one more set we have to complete on Monday.  We will get the results on Tuesday.  If all is well on this last set of test we will be lifting the boil water advisory!!!
I am also happy to hear that you all are liking out new Water Operator Mike Ireland. Thank you for the positive feedback!

Maria

Great News! All 5 water test done yesterday are satisfactory!!!

We will be doing 5 tests again tomorrow and those results will be counted as our First set of 5 for the DOH.  It takes a day to get the results back so we are hoping to have great news on Friday night as well. If all goes well there we will have a second round of tests done on Monday. If the tests come back clean again on Tuesday then the Department of Health will lift the Boil Water Advisory.

We are almost there!!! Here is post from the new Water Operators Washington Water Service Company

Staff from Washington Water Service Company  were at Cristalina water system  today at Maria Lindberg’s request and completed a water system inspection, sampled and chlorinated. I have listed below what was found for pumping equipment and sample locations. If all samples return satisfactory, we will return tomorrow (10/16/13) to verify chlorine residual if any in the distribution system and pull five follow up samples from the system and if all are coliform absent, return and pull the second set of five samples in hopes of releasing the boil water order.

 

·        SO #1 DOE Tag AAB127, Located inside pump house (with felt pen written on cover, well pump starter listed this as SO2), 2 Hp Gould pump 20P4G02H installed 2009. Tested well pump into bucket at 30 GPM and with meter at 26 GPM onto ground and into reservoir.
·        SO#2 DOE tag AAB179, Located in meter box in field (with felt pen written on cover, well pump starter listed this as SO1) 3HP Gould pump 20P4H02H installed in 2009. Tested well pump into bucket at 30 GPM. Meter does not work properly on this well.
·        After flushing pulled bac-t sample from reservoir fill line in pump house.
·        Pulled bac-t sample from well AAB127 from newly installed sample bib on well head
·        After flushing pulled bac-t sample from well AAB 179 from new installed sample bib inside pump house. With other well pump turned off and reservoir valve closed
·        Pulled bac-t at 26927 314^th Ave SE from outside hose bib on home.  (had long service line run with yard hydrant half way to home)
·        Pulled bac-t at 27129 312^th Ave. SE from outside hose bib on home. (Home located on the corner of 312^th Ave & Kent-Kangley Rd. may be on end of dead-end main)
·        Pulled bac-t sample from reservoir drain through newly installed sample bib.
·        Three booster pumps Gould’s 2HP HS020
·        Tested auto start generator, which started upon loss of commercial power and appeared adequate in running both well pumps and on booster pump while cycling.
·        Added six ounces of chlorine to the reservoir which provided a .43 mg/L residual
·        Installed 8 GPD chlorine pump on 30 gallon tub and set to below settings

 

·       Hypochlorite Mixture                          1.08 gallons of 12.5% hypochlorite per 30-gallon solution tub
·       Stingray Chem Pump Settings           3.5 on a scale of 1-7
·       Solution Tub Chlorine Strength           0.45%
·       Target Dose                                        0.40 mg/l  (No chlorine demand from Fe, Mn, H₂S or ammonia account for)
·       Flow Rate at Injection Point                40 gpm
·       During time of temporary chlorination, pumps have been wired to both start on a first call basis to maintain a constant flow thus stabilizing the chlorine residual.

 

 

If some needed maintenance and some improvements are completed and  source and storage samples return satisfactory; I see no reason why satisfactory water quality should be able to be maintained without continuous chlorination.

Forensic Accounting Complete just reviewing individual accounts.

Just an update on what is going on with the billing process here at Cristalina.  Since I discovered Stephanie was not doing the billing correctly I have gone through all of the metered billing since it's inception with an accountant, the copies of deposits and bank statements.

One we completed this process we discovered not only did Stephanie not bill on a monthly basis as she was contracted to do, but she missed billing the month of May completely. We are sorry for this and will be sending the May bill out to you.  She did input the meter readings for May, but she never sent out invoices. I know that this is going to be confusing for a lot of people but we will go though the billing with people individually to make sure you are clear with what we have.

We have also found that Stephanie gave many credits that we have no record of receiving.  We are going to be contacting everyone individually to go over your statements and will be needing proof of payment in some cases where we have no record. 

We do have copies of every check deposited to the Cristalina account from the bank.  We also have copies of some checks that have disappeared. So you may have written a check, but we never got it deposited.  It has taken a taken almost 2 full months to get this information correct.  

Once we have gone though everyone's account then we will be handing over the billing process to a management company that will be doing all of the billing and disconnection notices. 

I know a few of you had let me know that you did not receive bills, which is what started off this investigation.  I really appreciate you letting me know.  Stephanie had worked for me for almost 3 years and I did not realize that she was not completing her duties. I have taken swift and direct action to correct them. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding and I want you to know that we are going to get this system shipshape as soon as possible.  This of course also means we need the money that is owed to us in order to get the work complete.

Thank you again,

Maria Lindberg

Washington Water Service is taking over as Water Operators for Cristalina

Our goal is to have the boil water advisory off within 10 days if all goes well.  We are having to Chlorinate the system again to get it clean again. (I know that you smelled the chlorine when we did it before).  Then we are going to have to put in a Chlorination filtration system.  This is what most small water companies use to keep the water from being contaminated. We have been blessed in the past not to have to do this, but unfortunately a few test have come back positive with Chloriform so we are having to install the filtration system.

Mike Ireland will be on site tomorrow testing the water in the system and Chlorinating.

I am so sorry you are having to go through this.

Maria

4 out of 5 Samples Satisfactory 1 has shown Coliform. Ugg! So bummed.

I am so sorry to inform you that one of our 5 test has shown coliform. I am going to look into what our next step of action is from our Department of Health. I will keep you posted. In the meantime we continue to keep on the Boil Water Advisory.

Cristalina Water Update

We have completed our first round of  5 samples on the system.  We tested Well 1, Well 2, The reservoir, and two homes that were at the end of roads. 4 out of the 5 samples came back satisfactory.  The one coming from Well 1 did not.  This is confusing because if Well 1 had bad water that it is logical that the reservoir and the two homes down the system would have a bad water sample as well.  We are testing again today to make sure there wasn't some mistake with the well sample.  We should have those results by Thursday I believe.

That being said, I am being told that even if all of our water samples are perfect that they are not going to be lifting the boil water advisory until we put in a chlorination system.  I have been requesting funding for a filtration system as well as funding to finish the replacement of the PVC piping and the replacement of the reservoir for 6 years. I have told them that we had a liability on our hands and that we could end up in trouble if I wasn't approved.  I keep getting denied by the Department of Health and the Utilities and Transportation Commission.  If I get denied again this year I will have no choice but to sell the system to someone who has money to finish the project.

I will repost as soon as I get the test results.  We are sending bills out again today and with it a form to fill out and mail back with your email and address and current phone number for emergency contacts.  That way we can set up an email to everyone where I will send a copy of the blog posts.

I am sorry that people did not feel like they got notified in a timely manner.

Let's all hope that all of our next set of water testing comes back perfect!

Again, let me remind you the DOH is not going to lift the boil water advisory until we have a filtration system. It is my understanding that we can have all of the satisfactory samples for months and they will not lift the ban. We do not have financing for a filtration system as we have been denied the past 6 years. In the past, we were able to lift the ban after we can 10 good samples.

The DOH has not provided me with the new regulations that say that a filtration system is required even if the system has been cleaned and we have good samples, but they have said that they are requiring one before they lift the ban.

Thank you for your patience,

Maria Lindberg

Next round of testing will not be completed until we have the chlorination out of the water.

I will keep you posted as to when that will occur.

Maria

Corrections to the Previous post! Please note!!!

Hi Maria –

The Cristalina Water Company website is incorrect and that is generating calls. The generic form left in the word ‘E.coli’ (not correct) and indicated this event dated from 9/5/13 (not correct).

The lab reported fecal coliform on Thursday 9/26/13 and Marc Combs collected ‘repeat’ samples on Friday 9/27/13 which confirmed contamination on Saturday evening, 9/28/13.

I would assume that you know your operator was out to the system on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and following days working on resampling, corrective action and providing public notice.

Please let me know you’ve received this and that you’ll update your website so the customers aren’t confused more.

Ingrid Salmon

Department of  Health.

Copy of Official Post from Cristalina and the DOH

　

　

DRINKING WATER WARNING

The Cristalina Water Company Water System, ID 03014H, located in King County is

contaminated with fecal coliform / E. coli bacteria.

Fecal coliform bacteria were detected in the water supply on __9/28/2013____________. These bacteria can make you sick and are a particular concern for people with compromised immune systems.



DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a rolling boil, for 1 minute, and let it cool before using. Boiled or purchased bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.



Fecal coliforms is a bacteria bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems. The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice about drinking water from their health care provider.



What happened? What is the suspected or known source of contamination?

We had a bad reading on our monthly water test.

There is no known source of the contamination but it is suspected that contaminates could have entered from the previous hatch on reservoir.




The following is being done to correct the problem:

We have done a chlorination flush of the system.
We rebuilt the hatch to the reservoir.



We have consulted with the Washington State Department of Health about this incident. We will notify you

Please share this notice with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.


This notice is sent to you by _____Cristalina Water System____Water System on __9_/_28_/_2013_

Contact :
Marc Combs
425-413-5954

DOH says we are on the right track

The Department of Health sent an engineer out last night.  He said that the chlorination that we have done seems to be working but they want to monitor it for the next week or so.  I believe testing is going to be done every few days to make sure that all the samples are clean before they will remove the Boil Water Advisory.

I will update when I hear how the samples taken today go.  We just have to stay clean until the DOH feels good about taking off the Advisory.  I hope it is soon!

Maria

Blog Technical Help requested...

I am being told that people are not getting the blog post emailed to them.  I am not sure why because I was told that if someone subscribed to the blog they would get an email when there was an update.
If someone knows why this isn't happening and how to post so that the emails go out to subscribers that would be very helpful especially when there is something urgent.  I want people to get the updates without having to log into the website because it is not realistic to think people are going to check the website daily.

Thank you,

Maria Lindberg
Manager

Cristalina Updates by email and Mark Combs information

If you want to get the emails of what is posted on this site make sure you click follow.  It should email you each time something new is posted.  I apologize I thought everyone had Mark's information we sent it out several times. Water Operator for Cristalina:  Mark Combs 425-413-5954.

I know everyone does a great job informing each other there so for those who are not following the announcements you can pass this along.

I only post stuff that is important so I really suggest everyone follow the website announcements.

I am sorry for the boil water issue.  We have chlorinated the well and are hoping that will take care of the issue.  More test are being done on Tuesday and Thursday.  I will update the results here as soon as I get them.

Thank you,

Maria Lindberg
Manager.

URGENT!!! BOIL WATER ADVISORY!!!

You need to boil water until further notice.  If you have any questions please contact water operator Mark Combs. His number is (425) 413-5954

September Bills will be in the mail tomorrow.

I know there has been some problem with billing the last few months. All payments that I received by 9/6/13 have been posted.  The meter reading for September was done on 9/7/2013.  Meter readings are always done before the 9th of the month.  Even if the bill was not on time the last few months the meter readings were done in a timely fashion.

Anyone that is over 90 days late on their bill and have not made payment arrangements with me should be expecting a disconnection notice soon.

I have also put in personal Thank you's to all of you who have faithfully paid your bills on time.

Thank you,

Maria Lindberg, Manager Cristalina

Cristalina Internal Audit in Progress.

Thank you to all of you that let me know what was going on with the Cristalina Billing.  The prior bookkeeper had been doing it for several years and told me that everything was running smoothly and that she had been doing her job of billing and posting monthly.  It was discovered that was not the case.  I have only found out a few weeks ago about the situation.  I have taken immediate action. Stephanie Opsteeph Norris no longer represents Cristalina in any way.  I am taking this very seriously and there is going to be legal action.

We are reviewing every deposit and bank statement since her hire.  Your last months meter readings will be hand written on your bill as many of you have requested this information. This months meter reading will be posted on the bill.  There will be a review to make sure that you have received all of your bills and that your accounts have been properly credited with your payment.

The meter reader reported back that many of you are concerned about the water company yesterday.  I understand, and as manager I wanted to let you kmow I am working on the situation.  I have personally been working every day for 8 to 12 hours a day for the past 9 days on organizing the system.  I have also brought in help as I am not a bookkeeper in any way.

This months bill should be in the mail by Tuesday.  The meters were read on Saturday. I will post a confirmation when the mailing went out.  I will also be contacting many of you.  I want to thank you all for your support in this very trying situation.

Maria Lindberg, Manager.

Cristalina Billing Changes

I would just like everyone to know that I have personally sat down and reviewed each account in the Cristalina Water System. I am very happy to report that the good majority of you are all paying on time!
People that are 60 days or more late will be getting a phone call to work out a payment plan or will be getting a disconnection notice next week.

One of the billing changes that is going to happen is consistent disconnections so that we ensure everyone is paying on time. I am talking to a few different billing companies to find out the best way to get your bills to you in a timely and cost effective manner so that there will be no more lost bills.

I will let you know the new system as soon as I make a decision.

Thank  you to all who have made this a smooth process,

Maria Lindberg

Ability to view statements online is coming next month!

One of the things that I have been able to confirm is that we are going to be upgrading our software so that everyone that wants to give their email will get an emailed invoice and the ability to see their bill online. I am also currently looking into a postcard company that will connect with our system and send out the invoices automatically. We can't have the breakdown that happened this summer.

Thank you again for your patience.

Maria Lindberg

9/8/2013 Due to the state of the books this process will have to extend a month. There will be an update.

Cristalina Water Bill Rumors...

Hello all,

It is clear that there was some glitch in the billing the past few months. I appreciate those you have brought it to my attention.  We had no idea.  We are going to be going through each bill today and contacting everyone that is not current so that we can discuss your situation. It seems that for many the past two months bill were not received. I apologize.

It also seems that there has been some difficulty in getting through to the bookkeeper. There are a couple things that are going to happen here. 1st. We are going to bring in more help for checks and balances so this does not happen again. 2nd, we are going to review our proceedures to find out where we can make sure this does not happen again. 3rd for those of you paying regularly you will be happy to know that the 3 people that are grossly late on their accounts WILL be disconnected for their years of late payments. We had to deal with the expense of some attorneys and get clarification to make sure we do it right. We had an issue last time and it has been clarified.

Contrary to many people's belief, the majority of you are very good customers. I know this. I appreciate it as well. Some of you have been outstanding in helping us out and I appreciate that as well.  We are working on the billing issues today and you will be contacted by me or stephanie if there has been an issue in the past few months. I HAVE received you emails and calls and we are going to be working with you on the catch up of the late accounts.

I apologize I had no idea there were so many people who didn't get their bills the last few months. I had one or two people notify me and we cleared it up. It wasn't until this weekend that I found out the extent of what happened.

Also, we are looking into the ability for you to get your account billing online.  I will keep you posted on that as well.

Again, that you for your feedback.

Kind regards,

Maria Lindberg
Manager, Cristalina LLC