The Picayune Item

Local News

August 1, 2012

Boil water notice in Nicholson applies to Nicholson Elementary school

By David A. Farrell, Item Staff Writer The Picayune Item

NICHOLSON — Both a local Nicholson Water Assoc. official and a spokesperson for the State Department of Health said a boil-water notice issued on Wednesday applied only to Nicholson elementary school, not the entire system, and Picayune school assistant superintendent Brent Harrell said school officials are monitoring the situation almost hourly and will keep parents of children who attend the school fully informed. L.B. Dillard, Nicholson Water and Sewer Assoc. operator, said a boil-water alert from the state health department applies only to the Nicholson elementary school water supply and not the entire system.

Dillard’s statement was confirmed late Wednesday by a state health dept. spokesperson, who asked that his name not be used: “That notice covers only the Nicholson elementary school,” he said.

Harrell said late Wednesday that school officials are following the situation “almost hourly.”

Said Harrell, “We feel sure the problem will be rectified by Tuesday. It is being tested twice daily. We will keep parents fully informed.” School there begins on Tuesday.

Dillard said contractors working on the property hooked up a “dirty pipe to the system” without cleaning it out. He said the contractor was on the verge of clearing up the problem, however. The alert, which is published in the Picayune Item, to warn customers of the system, says “This (the alert) affects Nicholson Elementary School on 187 Hwy. 11 South located in Picayune.”

The elementary school does not actually reside in the city limits, but the city school district takes in a portion of the rural area surrounding Picayune, including Nicholson Community.

The notice said, “Water system officials notified the Mississippi State Department of Health of a pressure loss due (to) new line construction.”

The notice continued, “When a distribution system loses pressure, contaminants can siphon back into the water. Public health officials consider any system that loses pressure contaminated until tests prove otherwise. Health officials strongly recommend that all water be boiled vigorously for one minute before it is consumed. The water system will be notified when tests show that the water is safe to drink.” However, Dillard said the Nicholson system that covers residents never lost pressure, that he had what is called a “hot tap” hooked between the elementary school system and the rest of the Nicholson system.

Said Dillard, “Nicholson Water never lost any pressure.

“Nicholson Water has not issued any boil-water notice,” he said. “I understand the contractor is on the verge of remedying this problem. I have kept the school board fully informed about what is going on.”

The notice was issued on Wednesday and is published in today’s newspaper.

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