Santa Rosa neighborhood goes dry

About 125 households in Bennett Valley have been without water since Friday because a neighborhood water tank is contaminated.

No drinking, bathing, clothes washing or cooking with the tap water, residents of the Bennett Ridge area were told, bringing a massive inconvenience and a possible health concern now nearly a week old.

Some residents said they left for motels or homes of relatives and friends to make due. Others were off to gyms for showers and to the laundromat for their clothes.

"People are very agitated and upset," said Robin Levander, who lives in the neighborhood with her husband and two children.

"You can't cook. Your basic household functions are on hold. You appreciate how important water is," she said.

The problem became evident the evening of Feb. 21 when resident Pam Fike found her tap water smelled like creosote, she said.

She called the Bennett Ridge Mutual Water Co., which serves homes on Old Bennett Ridge and Bardy and Rollo roads, a picturesque neighborhood overlooking parts of southeast Santa Rosa.

The following morning a red warning flag and a sign warning against use of the water were posted at a main intersection.

The problem was tracked to a Bardy Road holding tank, which had leaks repaired last week. A coal tar substance used on the tank's inside should have been allowed to dry for about a week before the tank was put back into use.

Instead, it was refilled within hours and used by residents, said Don Kaminski, owner of Bartley Pump Inc. in Santa Rosa, which operates the water system.

Miscommunication between the repair company, which built the 5-year-old tank, and Bartley Pump was to blame for the mistake.

"I personally will take responsibility for that," Don Kaminski, owner of Bartley Pump Inc. said.

Water board members were estimating water might be usable by Friday. But several residents feared it would be next week before testing could reassure them their water is clean.

And there are concerns about the potential health risks for those who used the water before learning of the problem.

A relatively new phone tree set up in case of a neighborhood emergency kicked into gear after the problem was discovered. E-mails also went out from the water board warning against using the water.

But it still took hours to get the message out to everyone, after they already had used their water, neighbors said.

"The concern is . . . people took showers, they drank it, their kids brushed their teeth," said Fike, who lives near the contaminated tank.

"It's a health issue," said resident Cristina Saffer. "We did use the water, that evening and the next morning."

"What is in our systems?" Saffer wondered. "And how can we be guaranteed that we won't have a problem down the line?"

Meanwhile, a tanker truck with fresh water was parked in the neighborhood for customers to fill containers for home use.

Longtime resident Stan Sommer said he wasn't overly concerned, believing the compound isn't terribly toxic.

He echoed others expressing compassion for the volunteer water board members, now dealing with the complex issue.

"My heart goes out to the current board," said Sommer, a former board member himself.

Residents were to meet with health officials, and Bartley Pump was working to get clean water restored to the area.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com.