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NIBLEY, Cache County — This small northern Utah city’s 6,000 residents will need to wait until late Friday afternoon before finding out whether they can resume using water, and an unsettling taste may linger in their water afterward.
Public works crews from Nibley and surrounding jurisdictions worked overnight and finished flushing the water system in the city’s contaminated spring early Thursday morning, but city officials cautioned that water sample results would not be processed until Friday afternoon.
“Please do not use water until we have confirmation of clean test results,” according to a statement posted on the city's Facebook page. “Experts are advising that even after lab tests show water is safe to drink, the odor and taste may still be detectable for some time.”
City administrators initially reported a ban on water use for residents Wednesday afternoon after discovering an apparent diesel contamination in the city’s spring, one of three water sources used by Nibley residents.
The presence of diesel likely resulted from a farming vehicle that tipped over and spilled fuel in a small wreck Saturday, according to David Zook, Nibley city manager. Nibley's other water sources, both deep water wells, were not affected.
A restriction against showering, bathing, drinking or cooking with the city’s water remains in place. Nibley residents are also asked not to give culinary water to their animals or use it in and around the house. Boiling the water won’t remove the water’s contaminants, city officials have said. It remains safe to use the water to flush toilets.
A few Nibley residents said they noticed something strange in the water before the restriction was issued.
(My wife said), 'You know, I've kind of got a stomach ache. I noticed that the water tasted … a little different. She goes, 'I don't feel really good.' And so we actually noticed it the night before.
–Michael Nelson, resident
“(My wife said), 'You know, I’ve kind of got a stomach ache,'" resident Michael Nelson said. “I noticed that the water tasted … a little different. She goes, ‘I don’t feel really good.' And so we actually noticed it the night before.”
Diane Marvin said it has been difficult to break the habit of using running water throughout the day.
“We’re all trained to wash our hands when we go to the bathroom,” Marvin said. “You go to the sink and you’re like, 'Oh, wait. I can’t do that.'"
The Cache County School District closed Heritage and Nibley elementary schools through the end of the week, citing the need for water to run the schools from day to day.
Nibley city officials are encouraging residents to sign up for the city’s reverse 911 notification system if they have not already received alerts. Residents whose contact information is out of date or inaccurate are asked to sign up for alerts at www.nibleycity.com by following the Community Alert System link.
Cases of water reserved for babies and elderly and handicapped residents were made available at the City Hall parking lot, 455 W. 3200 South, and a large tanker provided by Logan on Wednesday night set up a self-serve water station at Nibley Park, 294 W. 3200 South.
Other nearby cities also provided water filling stations for Nibley residents:
Logan — Pallets of Utah, 1750 S. 400 West; Comfort Inn, 2002 S. U.S. 89/91.
Providence — Zollinger Park, 200 W. 50 North.
Hyrum: Senior center, 675 E. Main.
Millville: City Hall, 510 E. 300 South.
Contributing: Kaitlin Loukides
