Issue date: April 21, 1999
By JENNIFER DESAI
Woodside residents who claim drinking water from the Skylonda Mutual Water Company has made them violently sick are asking to be hooked up to a new source of water -- and meeting with county officials this week to see how much it will cost to do so.
The small water company, which serves about 160 households in Woodside, acknowledged March 12 that its water had tested positive for E. coli and coliform bacteria, agents that can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
Bill Pickering, president of the company's board of directors, blamed the problem on a raccoon nesting in one of the company's tanks. While the animal has not been caught, he said the problem had been taken care of and water was again safe to drink.
Some residents aren't so sure, saying that the small company has only two paid employees and can't ensure the safety of their water. At least six residents say they have been made sick by the water, though the county has not officially connected the illnesses with water contamination.
"This is a really dangerous situation," said resident Patrice Ventresca, who is leading the drive to change water companies. "My two children were very ill, and I'm afraid it will happen again."
While Skylonda officials blamed the raccoon for the contamination, county officials confirmed that one of Skylonda's two wells -- which is no longer supplying water to customers -- is also contaminated with coliform.
"This was an accident waiting to happen," said one retired county water engineer who asked that his name not be used. "When you have these small water companies run by volunteers, and they're only required to test samples once a month, contaminations can slip in," he told the Almanac.
Ms. Ventresca is spearheading an informal petition drive to have Skylonda customers annexed by the Skyline Mutual Water District. Skyline serves about three times as many customers, and gets water from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.
At a recent meeting with county officials, Ms. Ventresca also cited 1997 correspondence from San Mateo County Department of Environmental Health indicating that the water system was not in compliance with drinking water laws in June of 1997.
Skylonda land owners or registered voters could petition to be annexed by Skyline, or the district itself could start the process next, said Martha Poyatos of the county's Local Agency Formation Commission. "There is a genuine need and concern in this community," she said.
County health officials will meet with Skylonda board members to discuss the situation at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 20, at the Skylonda Fire Station, 1720 Skyline Boulevard, in Woodside.
A second meeting with representatives from the Skyline County Water District is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, at Kings Mountain Fire Station on Skyline Boulevard in Woodside.
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