Johnson Utilities must post warnings near spill

Johnson Utilities has been ordered to post warning signs near standing water in Queen Creek Wash where the company has spilled thousands of gallons of raw sewage.

A letter last week from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to Johnson Utilities Vice President Brian Tompsett ordered the company to post bright, bold-lettered signs around the Pecan Water Reclamation Plant because water samples showed excessive levels of fecal coliform and E. coli in standing water located in the wash.

The signs are supposed to say: "Water contact not recommended at this time."

ADEQ spokesman Mark Shaffer said the level of contamination is high.

The sample results show levels of coliform and E. coli in excess of 1,600 MPN/100mL. The units stand for most probable number of bacteria per 100 milliliters of water.

"The standard for safe body contact - which is for wading, not full immersion - is 576. Sixteen hundred is top of the scale," he said.

On May 17 and 18, the plant experienced two sanitary sewer overflows in the Pecan Creek area of Pinal County. ADEQ officials estimated the discharge at about 6,000 gallons of raw sewage into Queen Creek through a neighborhood spillway.

Residents of Pecan Creek expressed concern over safety and health issues with the raw sewage spill. Several residents said they saw sewage bubbling up from manhole covers and oozing into the wash and their streets.

Pinal County's environmental health director, Reg Glos, said people should heed the signs' warning.

"Based on the results of the water samples, it would not be a good idea to come in contact with the water," he said. "That is the main concern - that people stay out of there."

Glos said coming into contact with the contaminated water could cause health problems.

"The fact that things tested for were in the water might be indicative that there are other things in the water," he said.

Pecan Creek resident Kristen Fisher, a mother of two, said she is worried about the health and safety of residents and their children.

She said there is no telling how far the effects of a raw sewage spill could reach. She has concerns about contamination of the soil and groundwater and raw sewage being tracked into homes on shoes and car tires.

"Our HOA, because they are extremely concerned about the health and welfare of the residents here, are paying to have a fence put up blocking the wash," Fisher said.

Fisher said she would like to see an audit of the company's practices to ensure that customers' safety isn't in jeopardy.

"Once the sewage is out of our homes it then becomes the responsibility of Johnson Utilities - that is what they are paid for," Fisher said. "They need to do their job and ensure that there is no untreated sewage leaking anywhere."

Tompsett has said the backups were caused by pumps being blocked by large items getting into the system, including towels, wire and mop heads. He said his company plans to do community education to prevent people from allowing such items to enter the system.

Calls to Tompsett on Tuesday were not immediately returned.

The May incidents weren't the first time the utility spilled raw sewage into Queen Creek Wash near Pecan Creek. ADEQ records show the company is already in violation of state law for a spill of about 5,000 gallons of raw sewage that occurred Dec. 24.

Tompsett has said the December spill was also caused by large household items clogging the pumps.