By Lisa Rose

January 22, 2007 | NEWTON -- Many residents were advised not to use their water throughout most of Friday and Saturday because of high-iron content, which leaked from a private well.

The source of the iron was located Friday at a local man's private well. Contaminated water flowed into the city's culinary system because the well's safety precautions did not comply with state code. To prevent a second occurrence, the private well owner must put in a state-approved system, said City Councilman Ken Volkman, whose responsibilities include water and parks.

After initial water samples showed higher-than-normal levels of iron Friday morning, residents relayed the message by word of mouth not to use the city's culinary water until further instructed.

Fireman flushed out fire hydrants to drain the contaminated water from the system, allowing residents in the effected areas of town to use water for household needs. However, they were told not to drink it yet.

Residents finally received the OK to drink the water again after a "back test" for E. coli, giardia and other possible contaminants came back negative Saturday afternoon. Water samples were given to Bear River Health Department to have tests run. City officials agreed to take these extra precautions to ensure water safety for residents, said Volkman.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Web site, iron levels are not regulated in drinking water. The EPA says high levels of iron in water are not "associated with adverse health effects." Despite the lack of regulation, the EPA has in place a guideline for iron levels in source water, known as the Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level. The standard, 3 parts per million, is kept to preserve water aesthetics.

Newton residents experienced the rotten-egg smell and yellow tint to their water that iron causes. But aside from this temporary inconvenience, some residents called the experience a good thing.

"I'm just trying to think of something to take to them to thank them," said resident LeeAnn Peterson, speaking of taking a gift to the well owner to express her gratitude. "It was an eye opener. It made me realize how much you use water."

Since November, Peterson began to occasionally buy a case of water from Sam's Club. She felt the need to keep water for her children.

When Peterson was advised not to use the culinary water, her recent water-storage kept her from panicking. Instead of fear or distress, Peterson felt gratitude for something minor to alert the community and motivate them to get prepared.

"Some people freak out, get ornery, get rude. But it's just the facts of life; you need to be prepared."

Volkman shared an opinion similar to Peterson's in seeing potential benefits from the experience.

It's both good and bad, he said. Good, because the emergency system was tested. Bad, because of the potential for other harmful contaminates to be found in the water, he said.

"When you get into a community," Volkman said about Newton, "the citizens always have a lot of concern."

Surprisingly, some residents did not know about the water situation. The local convenience store owner, Beckie Griffin, closed her fountain drinks because they mix with water. Some customers were oblivious to the reason, she said.

Each home was affected differently, primarily the east side of town. This explains why some residents did not notice a change in their water.

Kelli Myers, a resident, said that when she received a phone call from her friend, she was shocked that she had not noticed the water's foul smell yet.

"When you have little kids, you're used to bad smells," Myers explained as she laughed.

Like many residents, Myers improvised throughout the day to get the meals prepared. Some of the housework, like the laundry, had to wait. As the mother of two children, she played it safe.

"Error on the side of caution," said Myers.

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