Authorities investigate water supply break-ins

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, October 1, 2005

SPOKANE – A water tower in east Spokane and a reservoir across the border in Idaho were both broken into recently, and both water systems were found to be contaminated with coliform bacteria.

The intrusions were confirmed Friday by the East Spokane Water District and a member of the Hauser Lake Water Association. Officials do not know if the cases are related or if the water was contaminated deliberately.

Users of both water systems were told to boil their water or drink bottled water.

E. coli and other coliform bacteria can cause vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain and fever.

Authorities said they do not believe the cases are related to E. coli contamination found earlier in the week in north Spokane, or to the discovery of a toxic chemical found recently in a well in Colbert.

In the Idaho incident, two screens were torn from overflow vents on a water reservoir on the east side of Hauser Lake. Kootenai County Sheriff’s detectives are investigating the damage.

The operator of the Hauser tank, Joe Leigh, said the contamination was probably accidental.

“I think it was just from natural causes, or maybe a bird or something got into a tank,” he said. Harmful bacteria can appear in a water supply if animals or birds fall into a tank.

The water tower in east Spokane serves a new housing development. An intruder dug under a fence a few weeks ago and broke the lock on a hatch that allows access to the water tower, said Rick Adkins of the East Spokane Water District. The tower serves fewer than a dozen homes now.

No animals were found in the east Spokane tower. Officials planned to drain the Hauser reservoir over the weekend.

The FBI looked into the vandalism, but is not investigating any further, said Robbie Burroughs, a spokeswoman with the bureau in Seattle.

“There’s no indication that there were federal violations or acts of domestic terrorism,” she said.