City issues water health advisory

The City of Libby has also issued a precautionary health advisory warning residents of the possibility of contaminated drinking water due to high turbidity.

According to the announcement: “This health advisory is precautionary. The City of Libby water treatment plant is experiencing higher than normal turbidities. Water system personnel are working diligently to get the water treatment plant back into compliance.”

The advisory cautions residents with specific health concerns or with severely compromised immune systems to consult their health care provider, but states boiling water and other corrective measures are not required at this point.

The city’s announcement also indicated the advisory does not signify an emergency, but is a precautionary measure.

“This is not an emergency,” the release read. “If it had been you would have been notified immediately.”

Libby Water Plant operator Kenny Rayome, Jr. said the health advisory was issued as a precautionary measure, as raw water going into the plant was showing turbidity well in excess of acceptable levels. When water going out of the plant reaches a turbidity level of .3 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU), a health advisory is issued. If turbidity exceeds 5 NTU a boil order is issued. As of 4 p.m. Thursday, turbidity levels going into the Libby plant were in excess of 20 NTU, after peaking at more than 160 Wednesday. Most of the turbidity was cleared up in the plant, however, as water going into the city’s drinking water system never exceeded 2 NTU.

“The upper dam site was bypassed at 10 a.m., with the health advisory being issued at 4 p.m.,” Rayome said. “Raw water started rising rapidly around 4:20 p.m., with raw NTU peaking at 162 NTU at 6:20 p.m. As of right now water coming into the plant is 21 NTU, but still muddy. That’s raw water coming in. Water leaving the plant never got above 2 NTU.”

Rayome said while it now appears that the turbidity has peaked, the advisory will likely remain in effect throughout the weekend at the very least while crews work to bring the turbidity levels down to normal levels.

Residents with questions regarding the water quality are encouraged to contact Chris Swenson at the City of Libby.