Harvest Gold residents should still boil their water
Operator hopeful the boil water advisory will be lifted within a month
FARMINGTON — Harvest Gold residents should continue to boil their water before using it.
Apple Orchard Mutual Domestic Water Users Association is in the process of flushing lines in the subdivision east of Bloomfield. Rick Mitchell, who is acting as operator for Apple Orchard, said he hopes to have the flushing completed this week.
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The subdivision has been on a boil water advisory for more than a year. A recently completed interconnection between the city of Bloomfield and the subdivision is providing city water to the residents. However, the boil water advisory will remain in effect until water samples submitted to the New Mexico Environment Department meet safe drinking water standards.
The boil water advisory was sparked in June 2016 by high turbidity levels in the water. Turbidity is a measurement of cloudiness in the water.
Mitchell said the samples submitted to the environment department have come back within standards. He said there will be more samples submitted next week.
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Mitchell is hopeful that the boil water advisory will be lifted within a month, however that will be determined by the environment department.
"We're meeting all the requirements," he said.
Ammon Burton, the board president for Apple Orchard, said the flushing process is taking longer than anticipated because the new pump has not been able to keep up with the flushing demands.
MORE:Infrastructure remains a problem for Harvest Gold
Mitchell said residents can flush the pipes in their houses, but he cautioned not to use too much water during the flushing process.
Hannah Grover covers government for The Daily Times. She can be reached at 505-564-4652 or via email at hgrover@daily-times.com.
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