Published: November 06, 2009 10:00 am      

New boil order issued for Lake Eufaula park

Another boil order has been issued by the state Department of Environmental Quality, this time for Eufaula State Park.

“The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has advised Lake Eufaula State Park, located in McIntosh County, to inform guests and other consumers of the drinking water that it is unfit for human consumption due to the presence of E coli,” said DEQ spokesperson Skylar McElhaney.

“This boil advisory affects Lake Eufaula State Park only,” McElhaney said.

The DEQ issued the boil advisory after water samples which were tested revealed the presence of E coli.

To ensure the water is safe for human consumption, any water served from the Lake Eufaula Park System should be vigorously boiled for at least one minute before it is used for drinking, food preparation, brushing teeth or washing dishes, according to the DEQ.

The park is 14 miles southwest of of Checotah. Eufaula State Park gets its water from the city of Checotah, but McElhaney said the city is not included in the boil order.

Included in Eufaula State Park are 235 campsites, a nature center and other facilities. It’s known in the area as the grounds which once included the building known as Fountainhead State Lodge.

The DEQ said the advisory to boil water will remain in effect until it’s ensured that the park’s water system can maintain adequate chlorination and that any required connections to structural systems or operational practices have been made.

The boil order for Eufaula State Park in McIntosh County is in addition to a boil order issued last Friday for Narconon-Arrowhead in northern Pittsburg County, McElhaney said. That boil advisory had affected the Narconon-Arrowhead facility only, not any of the nearby communities. The boil order issued for Narconon-Arrowhead last Friday still remains in effect, McElhaney said late Thursday afternoon.

McElhaney said that the DEQ does not see any connection between the boil orders issued for the two facilities.

Narconon Arrowhead purchases its treated water from the Pittsburg-Crowder rural water district, which was not included in the boil order, McElhaney said. That indicates the problem arose sometime after the treated water left the water plant, according to the DEQ.

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.