Coliform bacteria was discovered last month in the water system that serves Desert Hills Premium Outlets, its two food courts, a McDonalds and a gas station convenience store, according to a report released this week by the Cabazon Water District.
No one was reported sickened by the contamination, but state and county health agencies stepped in to ensure the shopping center's water wells and distribution system were disinfected, and that water emergency plans were in place if a similar event occurs again.
One well remained off-line this week, and another well was in use and being chlorinated, county Environmental Health officials said.
Desert Hills Premium Outlets operates its own water system, which is regulated by the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health. It is considered a public water system operated by a private enterprise, said Laurie Holk of the county Environmental Health department.
The Desert Hills shopping center, next to Cabazon Outlets, promotes itself as home to 130 stores and two food courts. Its water system also serves the McDonalds and the Chevron station convenience store on Seminole Drive.
Dottie Montana, general manager for Desert Hills Premium Outlets, could not be reached to comment for this report.
Calvin Louie, general manager of the Cabazon Water District, said in a 13-page incident report he learned of the contamination at Desert Hills Premium Outlets on May 12, when he received an email from an engineer with the California Department of Public Health's Drinking Water Field Operations Branch.
State engineer Jing Tying-Chao informed Louie she'd recommended the county Department of Environmental Health and the Desert Hills Premium Outlets certified water operator, Terry Brager, contact Cabazon Water District "for assistance in disinfecting the wells and distrubution system."
The next morning, May 13, Brager contacted Louie and asked for help.
"He informed me that the reason for this action was due to a bad sample," Louie said in his report.
Louie examined lab results at the shopping center's management office that showed "Total Coliform" present in resamples from four sinks, including one in the Liz Claiborne store, and in Well #1.
"Coliform" is a "rod-shaped bacterium . . . found in the intestinal tract of humans and other animals. Its presence in water indicates fecal contamination and can cause diarrhea and other dysenteric symptoms," according to Oxford American Dictionaries.
The lab results also showed "Total Coliform" was absent from Well #2, Louie said.
E. coli bacteria was not present in any part of the Desert Hills Premium Outlets water system, according to Louie's report.
Louie visited both wells, and noted that Well #1 was exposed to the weather with no shelter. Well #2 was housed in a concrete structure.
Well #1, "the production well that produced the sampling results showing a presence of total coliform," had cracks and deterioration on and near the base of the well, possibly from exposure to adverse weather elements, Louie said in his report.
"The geographical area is known for high winds," Louie said. "Those, coupled with rain storms, could have allowed contaminants to enter into the well."
Another potential cause may have been excessive lubricants being discharged when a pump motor was not operating, Louie said.
Louie helped form an emergency response and repair team that included Cabazon Water District personnel, and Perry Gerdes, water and waste water superintendent for the City of Banning Water Department.
The afternoon of May 13, Louie sent a progress report to Chao and Steve Williams, district engineers with the state Department of Public Health.
Louie suggested taking Well #1 off-line from the shopping center's water distribution system, and "concentrate efforts to disinfect the distribution system as it serves two food courts, a McDonalds restaurant, and the Chevron gas station snack shop."
Chao agreed with Louie.
Using a temporary chlorinator, Well #2 and the shopping center's 1-million-gallon reservoir tank were injected and dosed with the chemical sodium hypochlorite, Louie said.
Field crew members then proceeded with "flushing the distribution system in order to move the chlorinated water throughout the system," Louie said.
On May 17 and 18, the maintenance supervisor for Desert Hills Premium Outlets told Louie that preliminary lab reports showed an absence of total coliform and E. coli bacteria, Louie said.
From May 19 to May 22, Well #1 was "shock chlorinated" and flushed repeatedly for several hours at a time, according to Louie's report.
On May 25, Brager forwarded Louie an email from Jackie Jones of the county Environmental Health Department listing the following requirements for the shopping center's public drinking water system:
"1) Purchase, install and operate a continuous disinfection system for all the water Desert Hills Premium Outlets supplies to customers. The chlorinators and pumps need to be NSF 61 certified. The disinfectant needs to be NSF 60 certified. . . .
"2) Submit an Emergency Chlorination Plan explaining how you will quickly disinfect the wells and the entire system should a similar event occur again. . . .
"3) Submit an Emergency Notification Plan along with draft public notification forms (Unsafe Water Alerts for: Boil Water & Do Not Drink & Do Not Use) along with instructions on how you would quickly distribute the notices to stores and customers.
"Cabazon Water may be able to help you with the items listed above."
Jones this week referred questions to her supervisor, Holt.
Estimates and bids for the continuous disinfection system were to be submitted by contractors and vendors currently used by the Cabazon Water District, Louie said. The chlorinators used by the district average $20,000 each.
"Right now they're only using Well 2 and they're chlorinating it," Holt said in a phone interview this week. "Well 1 is currently off-line while they're doing repairs on it. They will not go on-line until we get good bacteriological samples."
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