Customers of the River Pines Pubic Utility District may have noticed something suspicious about the water coming from their taps the second week in February.

A notice of violation was issued Feb. 28 by the California Department of Health Services, Division of Drinking Water and Environmental Management in response to the district's failure to comply with two sections of the California Health and Safety Code.

According to the notice, on Feb. 10, approximately 5,000 gallons of stagnant water was sent through the RPPUD distribution system to customers. The water should have gone to an on-site waste tank.

Since July 2006, the district had been utilizing Cosumnes River water, which is treated using a slow sand filter.

"However, due to the rain storms in the latter part of the second week of February 2007, the raw water turbidity levels were higher, and the slow sand filter could not be operated to produce good quality water," the notice said. "So due to this reason, River Pines PUD needed to operate Well 6R to meet its water demands."

Well 6R, not used since last July, had approximately 5,000 gallons of stagnant water remaining in a chlorine contact tank when it was fired up Feb. 10.

"Since the contact tank is vented to the atmosphere, this water could have become contaminated and could also have developed physical water quality problems related to taste, odor, clarity, etc.," the notice said. "Distributing this water to the customers resulted in taste, color and odor problems ... (that) lasted approximately until Feb. 12."

Some River Pines residents noticed a change in their water's taste and odor.

Lylis McCutcheon returned to her River Pines home Feb. 10 and discovered a cup of Kool-Aid waiting for her.

"I was asked to taste it," she said in a Feb. 13 letter. "It smelled like pesticides to me and tasted foul. I smelled the Kool-Aid in the pitcher and then the water that came from the kitchen faucet, they had the same odor."

According to CDHS, the Feb. 10 incident violated sections of the California Health and Safety Code relating to the supply and distribution of pure, wholesome, healthful and potable water.

The notice stated that RPPUD should have been prepared for the situation, as it was known the rain storm was coming and that such storms increase the turbidity of the Cosumnes River.

"This shows that River Pines ran poor operations during this time and needs a good operations plan for preventing this and other situations in the future," it said.

"Water that should have been thrown out was sent to our homes knowingly," McCutcheon said. "The public should be told something, being I am feeling disgusted over having drank what I did when tasting it."

The Health Department is requiring RPPUD to notify district customers about the incident by March 21, prepare the operations plan for Well 6R by March 30 and submit an alternative technology engineering report on the Well 6R treatment plant by April 30, a condition of the plant's original permit.

The notification to customers is to inform them of the problem as well as what actions will be taken by RPPUD to remedy it and prevent similar incidents in the future.

The operations plan must include information about how old water will be discharged from the contact tank and how it will be disposed of once it reaches the waste tank.

If the water is discharged onto land, RPPUD will need to receive a permit from the Regional Water Quality Control Board. If it will be hauled to a wastewater treatment plant, RPPUD must inform CDHS about the details of its waste hauling contract with a water hauling company.

The notice stated that an alternative to leaving old water in the tank and subsequently disposing of it would be to operate Well 6R for at least eight hours every two weeks.

"This way, the water in the tank will be turned over three times every two weeks and will keep the water in the tank fresh and of good water quality to be delivered to the customers," the notice said.

Calls to RPPUD Board of Directors President Hal Jones were not returned as of press time.