Lacey History this week 1999

Residents of the Nisqually and Beachcrest neighborhoods were told to boil their drinking water after preliminary tests indicated the presence of E Coli bacteria in their water system.

Because Lacey gets its water from underground wells, it’s not required to add disinfectant to its water supply.   The state does require monitoring of the system for fecal coliform.  Routine tests showed the contaminant E Coli was present in the system.

This was the first time Lacey had experienced such bacterial problems with its water.   The city later went on to add chlorine to its entire water system, which is the water we drink today.