DEQ says Mexican Hat's hauled drinking water is safe after flood took its well house

Drinking water

Mexican Hat's drinking water remains safe, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality said Monday, though the town is relying on hauled water after losing its well house to recent flooding. ^[1]

The water is trucked in and passes through the Mexican Hat water treatment plant before it reaches homes and businesses, the department said. All other drinking water systems in San Juan County are working normally, it said. ^[1]

Residents should not use drinking water from hoses that may have been exposed to floodwater, DEQ said. ^[1]

In Bluff, town council member Jennifer Davilia read a statement from Bluff Water Works saying the town's system was not compromised by the San Juan River flooding. The utility said its water comes from an aquifer under artesian pressure and that every service meter has dual-check backflow protection. ^[1]

River testing

DEQ said the weekend storms sent fresh runoff, sediment and debris into the San Juan River, making it very likely that E. coli levels had spiked again. Field crews were collecting a new round of river samples, and the department said confirmed results would be released with local health officials once lab testing is done. ^[1]

Before the latest storms, E. coli in the river had peaked Oct. 26 at roughly 2,400 MPN and fallen by Oct. 30 to 1,950 to 2,000 MPN near Bluff and 1,700 to 1,750 MPN near Mexican Hat, levels DEQ still called dangerously high. ^[2]

Sampling and local health advisories are handled by the Southeast Utah Health Department and San Juan County Public Health, and broader emergency response runs through the state Division of Emergency Management and the county. ^[1]