Washington State Department of Health News Release

Customer contact: BiJay Adams, Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District 1, 509.922.5443
Media contact: Kate Lynch, Washington State Department of Health, 360.485.510

[updated Dec. 2, 2019]

LIBERTY LAKE – On Nov. 28, the Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District 1 completely lifted the boil water advisory for all LLSWD service connections. If you have questions, please call the water district at 509.922.5443 or visit their website at www.libertylake.org.

[updated Nov. 27, 2019]

LIBERTY LAKE -- The Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District 1 is alerting most of its water customers that they no longer need to boil drinking water. The district is a separate governmental entity from the City of Liberty Lake.

The water district isolated the area where the contamination was found, then disinfected and flushed the entire system. The boil water advisory will remain in effect for a very small portion of the system. This includes customers in an isolated section to the north of East Appleway Avenue, south of Interstate 90, east of North McKenzie Lane including North Madson Street, and west of Liberty Lake State Line Trail. The boil water advisory will also include Huntwood Custom Cabinets (see map). If you are uncertain whether this continued boil water advisory affects you, please contact the water district.

The water district found E. coli bacteria on November 17 in a portion of the water system that served two homes. Those two customers were contacted, and advised to use boiled or bottled water for drinking. On November 20, tests in an adjacent part of the system were also found to have E. coli bacteria. The water district announced a system-wide boil water advisory. That advisory has now been lifted for all customers, except those in the area described above (see map).

The water system serves more than 10,000 people in Liberty Lake and the surrounding area, located about 12 miles from Spokane and 3 miles from the Idaho border.

Information and updates will be posted on the water district’s website. If you have questions, please call the water district at 509.922.5443.

[original release, Nov. 22, 2019]

LIBERTY LAKE -- The Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District 1 is advising all water customers to boil their drinking water after recent investigative samples showed the presence of E. coli in the water. The district is a separate governmental entity from the City of Liberty Lake. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) Office of Drinking Water is working closely with the water system to fix the problem.

The water district is investigating the source of contamination and is disinfecting the entire system. The boil water advisory will remain in effect until further notice. The water system serves more than 10,000 people in Liberty Lake and the surrounding area located approximately 12 miles from Spokane.

“We are taking action to eliminate the bacteria from the water system. Safe and reliable drinking water is critical to good health. Responding to this kind of situation is our highest priority,” said BiJay Adams – general manager, from the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District.

No illnesses related to the community’s drinking water have been reported. To correct the problem, chlorine was applied to the entire system beginning today, November 20. The problem leading to the boil water advisory is hoped to be corrected within a week.

The advisory includes several precautionary steps for customers. These include: using purchased bottled water or boiled water for drinking, brushing teeth, dishwashing, preparing food, and making ice. When boiling water for use, water should come to a rolling boil for one minute, and then cooled before using.

The advisory will remain in effect until Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District and DOH are confident the water is safe for consumption. Customers will be notified once satisfactory test results have been received and the advisory is lifted. Updates will be posted on the water district’s website.

If you have questions, please call the water district at 509.922.5443.