King County Water District #54 announced Tuesday afternoon (Sept. 24) that the ‘boil advisory” is still in effect, and will remain in effect until further notice. Bottled water continues to be available at the District’s offices at 922 South 219th Street in Des Moines (map below), as well as at the Des Moines Activity Center located at 2045 S. 216th Street, just east of the Des Moines Post Office. Three sets of water quality test samples were collected Tuesday; all of the samples are at the testing labs for evaluation, and results should come in by late Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 25). These results will help determine whether the District can end the boil advisory. The official cause of the advisory has still not been announced. Public Health – Seattle and King County will notify food service establishments when it is safe to re-open for business. Numerous businesses in the district have been shut down since it went into effect on Saturday, Sept. 21. The District said in an announcement that it is continuing the short-term chlorination of the water along with an increased frequency of water quality testing. Customers and businesses can call the District’s offices at (206) 878-7210 for additional information or check the City of Des Moines’ website at www.desmoineswa.gov or city channel 21 for further information regarding this situation. The District serves customers in the core of Des Moines and the far south section of Normandy Park in an area from Puget Sound, east to 13th Ave South and Kent-Des Moines Road north to South 212th Street: WaterDistrict54Map View Larger Map We’re curious to hear what our Readers think of this – please share your stories in Comments below, and take our Poll as well… [poll id=”2″]]]>

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21 replies on “'Boil Advisory' still in effect; water test results should come in Wednesday”

  1. I am concerned about the business impact this has on the wonderful restaurants that have blossomed in Des Moines. To be closed Saturday night and Sunday brunch; then follow it up with closure Monday – Wednesday… I hope it doesn’t hurt them too much.
    I think we should all go eat out every evening as soon as they’re given the all clear.

    1. This was my exact thought as well. An inconvenience to the residential customers, sure, but our beloved businesses such as the Scotch and Vine, Auntie Irene’s, Blue Vanilla, etc., need our support over the next few weeks!

  2. This is a great idea and I do hope that more people will feel and act the same on this. We will be involved as soon as the “all clear” is given. Boiling water now! We are blessed with good restaurants in Des Moines, so even if you live farther away, come and taste a surprise in Des Moines, then tell a friend,.

  3. Maybe WD 54 will rethink their no chlorine/fluoride position on Des Moines water. If not, maybe the voters will remember this fiasco. .

  4. We heard ONLY from the TV news that there “may” have been small trace readings on the “exterior” of some kind of piping or valves and that no trace was found anywhere in the interior of the system. Is that true? We are NOT hearing any details locally!
    I sure do hope that local officials will soon be explaining all of the details of this event to the public. Especially to all the restaurants and cofee shops, etc. that will loose 4 to 5 days of business.
    My wife and I live in the condo right in front of Anthony’s Homeport. Everyday we have seen a stream of potential customers driving up, checking out the messages on the door and then driving away. Sad, if it was for nothing.

  5. This is a great burden on the whole community. As one of the owners of a food service extablishment in Des Moines we are greatly concerned about the apparent lack of urgency and up to date information coming from King County Health and the Water District #54. Do they not realize that over 25 food service extablishnments are effected in this outage. This includes set down restruants, fast food establishments, espresso stands, school kitchens as well as the kttchens at the retirement centers. There must be over 100 servers, baristas , bus persons, dish washers and cooks that have not been paid for 5 days now. Could this be an over reaction to the small trace readings on an exterior valve or fitting? Who is going to make up the lost wages for all of these people? What will be done by Des Moines City Hall and the water District to help recover the customers that went elsewhere while this fiasco went on?

    1. John – I couldn’t agree with you more. The lack of communication from the water district is appalling. Also, the fact that we had to wait until Tuesday for testing. Do inspectors not work on weekends when there is a crisis?
      Another point of contention for me is the lack of information on what to do. Is it okay to shower, wash clothes, run a dishwasher? Basically WD54 has failed in all aspects of this situation.

  6. It would be more helpful and effient if the effected water district was the same color like pink while the unaffected water districts were in green meaning it was o.k.

  7. My concern is poor information.
    1. I didn’t see any info on the -strain- of e.coli. Apparently there are -many- types of e.coli and the symptoms/seriousness are quite different.
    2. There was no info on latency… IOW: how long do these bugs stick around? If I had a pitcher of iced tea in my fridge made 2 days ago is -that- OK?
    Health questions like this… I realise they don’t want people to panic, but this is basic stuff.
    Also: I think they should investigate getting with Comcast. They should be able to send out a video overlay on all channels (similar to when there is a missing child.) I was surprised by how many people on my street didn’t know, but -were- watching TV. If they weren’t watching ‘News’ they missed it.

  8. I was in Arturos when an employee from the water district was there, telling Arturo he had to shut the restaurant down, Saturday night. I asked him what are you doing to notify the residents? He said it will be on the news. I asked him what else are you doing? He told me, Nothing. I said what about people that dont watch the news and he actually said, “oh well” and walked away! My family plans on eating out when this fiasco is over at our favorite establishments, getting coffee from Auntie Irene’s a couple times a day for awhile, and getting some money back into our Des Moines businessses.

  9. I was in Arturos when an employee from the water district was there, telling Arturo he had to shut the restaurant down, Saturday night. I asked him what are you doing to notify the residents? He said it will be on the news. I asked him what else are you doing? He told me, Nothing. I said what about people that dont watch the news and he actually said, “oh well” and walked away! My family plans on eating out when this fiasco is over at our favorite establishments, getting coffee from Auntie Irene’s a couple times a day for awhile, and getting some money back into our Des Moines businessses.

  10. I am pregnant and due in a week. This whole situation is so scary to me. I don’t have cable or listen to the radio. My family called me panicing about the water and my babies health. I hope the posts go up soon.

  11. I am pregnant and due in a week. This whole situation is so scary to me. I don’t have cable or listen to the radio. My family called me panicing about the water and my babies health. I hope the posts go up soon.

  12. I am wondering if we ever will know what exactly the conditions were of the water to create this situation. I don’t know how long other municipalities have taken to get a treat & get clearing test, but this is a significant impact across the board. I don’t doubt that there was something alarming in the water and could’ve been for awhile. Another instance of improperly treated water causes adenovirus. Speculating only but I have been ill with a sore throat, fevers and swollen lymph nodes of an unknown viral infection since late July. I also have seen similar symptoms in a handful of others I know. Again, who knows but its very possible E. Coli in addition to other contaminants could have been in our water supply. And if its been in the supply for awhile, perhaps that’s the lack of urgency to communicate with the residents who have been consuming mass quantities already, so what’s the harm of a little more? (Tinfoil hat now removed)

  13. As a new resident to Des Moines, I am very disappointed with the lack of urgency and communication in this matter. Had my landlord not called and told me of the unfortunate contamination in the water, I could have possibly gone days without boiling my water.
    I hope that any employees affected by the lack of work will be able to recoup at least a small portion via unemployment.

  14. As a new resident to Des Moines, I am very disappointed with the lack of urgency and communication in this matter. Had my landlord not called and told me of the unfortunate contamination in the water, I could have possibly gone days without boiling my water.
    I hope that any employees affected by the lack of work will be able to recoup at least a small portion via unemployment.

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