Belle water tower inspections yields no answers to Coliform source

By Roxie Murphy, Staff Writer
Posted 1/4/23

BELLE — Water tower inspections on Dec. 29 by Coating Inspection Services CIS located in Eureka resulted in no immediately clear cause for the excessive Coliform Bacteria located in the …

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Belle water tower inspections yields no answers to Coliform source

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BELLE — Water tower inspections on Dec. 29 by Coating Inspection Services CIS located in Eureka resulted in no immediately clear cause for the excessive Coliform Bacteria located in the city’s water that caused a Dec. 12-21 boil advisory.

Public Works Director Tony Baretich shared the preliminary results of the inspections.

“After our conversation when they got done — there is nothing major that could cause — nothing that was a right there, in-your-face issue,” Baretich said about the cause of the Coliform Bacteria and subsequent tower inspections.

Baretich stood beneath the city’s oldest water tower, built in 1937, on Thursday as Brad Huebner,  and John Beach prepared to climb the structure and proceed with the inspection.

Baretich has previously suggested that both American Rural Water and himself thought the told tower may be the culprit of the Coliform. The tower was removed from the system early into the positive testing for the bacteria and remained off while the public water system was chlorinated.

On their return, however, Huebner said the tower had two tiny holes at the very top that had obviously been there for some time because the aluminum paint from its most recent restoration coated the edges.

“There were a couple of suspect things they took pictures of at the old tower by City Hall,” Baretich said. “There are a few things that could possibly be with the right conditions and right scenario.”

Huebner indicated that the tower once had an opening at the top that was welded closed during the previous maintenance excursion. He also shared a few concerns, including the rolling ladder used to climb to the top of the tower that was not welded down. However, Huebner didn’t see major signs that the Coliform Bacteria originated from the old water tower.

Even though no major concerns were found at the old tower, Baretich said he didn’t plan to put that system back online until after CIS submitted its official report.

“Then we can discuss some things that need to be done on that, which will come out in their report,” Baretich said. “So I will leave it off for the time being.”

During the inspection of the new water tower located at the end of Mitchem Avenue, Huebner noted lots of flies inside the open base — not in the water supply and not necessarily a cause for concern.

Huebner initially believed the screen at the top of the tower enclosed the water supply from animals or potential Asian Lady Beatles from gaining access. After he inspected the tower, however, he said the screen is not welded shut and one section would have had enough give to allow an animal or insects in — though none were present.

“We flushed this whole system every day for five days,” Baretich said. “If anything was in there, it would be long gone by now.” 

Baretich said he was disappointed the city doesn’t have a clear answer for what caused the excessive Coliform, though it is a relief the towers’ inspections were mostly good.

“There are some upgrades and changes that need to be put in the budget and thought of for the upcoming budget year,” Baretich said. “We are just going to keep testing (the water). That’s all we can do.”

If the cause of the Coliform Bacteria isn’t found or the testing in January comes back Coliform-Positive, the city may have to look at chlorinating its water system. Baretich said for now they will continue testing and increase the amount of testing if needed.

Belle Mayor Daryl White, Jr., said the city is looking into some of CIS’s suggestions.

“They give us some suggestions we was gonna change, but we didn’t have any major issues,” White said. “So we are working to get our water quality back to what it has always been. We have always maintained top five in Missouri for best water.”

White said the city tests water samples weekly.