Tucson Water and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality say they do not believe recycled sewer pipe was used to provide drinking water to an east-side neighborhood last summer after a water main broke.
A former employee of the contractor that installed the emergency water line made the allegation in a complaint to the state last month, after he was fired for a safety violation.
Both the city and ADEQ say they are satisfied that water delivered to roughly 1,200 homes was safe, based on supervision at the site and testing of drinking water used in the temporary, emergency bypass.
The bypass was required after a contractor inadvertently broke a water line near South Harrison and East Irvington roads last July.
Tucson Water recently completed its internal investigation, interviewing employees involved as well as reviewing field notes, said Fernando Molina, a spokesperson for Tucson Water
âIn our interviews with staff that were working on this project, none indicated that there was any problem or defect with the materials delivered by Rain for Rent to the site, nor were any of our employees notified by staff from Rain for Rent that there was any issue or concern with the equipment that they provided,â Molina said.
After the temporary water lines were installed, Tucson Water flushed the lines and disinfected them with bleach, he said.
âAfter the super-chlorination process, laboratory personnel monitored the chlorine levels and found them appropriate for disinfection of the pipeline, and took samples of water for additional bacteriological analysis,â he said.
âLaboratory results indicated no presence of bacteriological contamination.â
ADEQ initially said it had not investigated the complaint.
But Caroline Oppleman, the public information officer for ADEQ, said the state agency confused two complaints initially filed by the same former Rain for Rent employee.
âThe second complaint, filed two days later by the same individual about the same facility, caused some confusion on our end and made us think it was a reiteration of the first complaint referred to PCDEQ,â she said in a statement to the Star.
She said the second complaint was forwarded to Pima County Department of Environmental Quality, thinking it was related, and Tucson Water was notified.
ADEQ is satisfied that, due in part to on-site supervision of Rain for Rent workers by Tucson Water employees, that the temporary line met all health standards.
The state agency also provided a letter written by Rain for Rent days after the initial complaint, stating the company keeps separate yards for their potable and non-potable items.
âThe City of Tucson (Tucson Water) and Rain for Rent has partnered on several emergency potable high-line (bypass) projects since 2008 with success and without incidents,â wrote Tracy Castell, a branch manager for Rain for Rent.
âTo the best of our knowledge. Rain for Rent has not rented or leased any ânon-potableâ pipe or fittings for use or conveyance of potable water for the City of Tucson or their customers.â
Charles Boise, the former Rain for Rent employee who filed the complaints, told the ADEQ the company installed an emergency drinking water bypass with pipe that had previously been used for several sewer bypass projects.
In a letter filed with the agency in April, Boise said a supervisor ordered the crew to use pipe previously used for sewer projects, all contaminated with human waste, to make the emergency repairs in the middle of the night.
On Saturday, Boise said he is not satisfied with the results of the investigation, saying he believes bacteria and pathogens in the form of hair and other debris found in used sewer lines could possibly remain, even after the pipe is flushed and chlorinated.
