Warning to Residents of Yavapai Estates

Residents of Yavapai Estates who are also customers of the Wilhoit Water Company are being urged to use bottled water for drinking & cooking, due to an ongoing situation with the water company. Town officials said a temporary solution is in the works.

On Dec. 15th, 2006, the Town of Chino Valley was notified by the ADEQ that serious levels of arsenic exceeding safe drinking water standards were found in the drinking water of the private Wilhoit Water Company, serving customers between 3 South & 5 South on the east side of Highway 89 in Chino Valley.

Today officials with Chino Valley's Water Services Department said that the City of Prescott Water Dept. will temporarily provide potable water to Wilhoit Water Company's customers through a temporary water line. That water line is being set up between the Prescott Water Department & the Wilhoit Water Company.

Chino Valley officials said that once the Arizona Dept. of Environmental Quality approves the connection, the water will start to flow to Wilhoit customers. In the meantime, residents still need to use alternative potable water services until the water connection is finalized in the next week or two.

The Wilhoit Water Company can be reached by phone at (928) 634-3760 or (928) 639-1308, or at P.O. Box 870, 901 1st St., in Clarkdale.

If you need to register a complaint regarding the Wilhoit Water Company, please 1st contact the Az. Corporation Commission at 1-800-222-7000, & if after normal business hours please record a message. Also contact the ADEQ hotline to file a complaint at 1-800-234-5677.

Additional Information Issued by the Az. Dept. of Environmental Quality:

The ADEQ has issued a public notice to customers of the Wilhoit Water Company-Yavapai Estates in Chino Valley, Yavapai Co. that levels of arsenic in the drinking water are 30 times higher than the federal standard.

ADEQ is advising customers to avoid drinking or cooking with water from the Wilhoit system in Chino Valley, & to find an alternative source, such as bottled water. The Wilhoit Water Company is privately owned.

Drinking water samples taken from the system exceed federal arsenic levels. The most recent analytical result for a sample collected was 316 parts per billion (ppb). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) arsenic standard for drinking water is 10 ppb.

The EPA has determined that long term exposure to arsenic may lead to cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidneys, nasal passages, liver & prostate. Other effects may include thickening & discoloration of the skin, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, numbness in hands & feet, partial paralysis & blindness.

ADEQ will continue to keep customers updated until the water system meets arsenic compliance standards. To date, the water system has failed to conduct increased compliance monitoring for arsenic & to provide customers with proper public notification & an alternative source of drinking water, as required by law. ADEQ will continue to work with the water system to ensure they meet legal requirements to continue notifying the customers, perform verification sampling & serve water that meets all safe drinking water act standards.

Customers with questions about the notice can contact the water system at (928) 639-1308 or the ADEQ at (602) 771-4644.