Desert Messenger

October 18, 2023 www.DesertMessenger.com 39 SPECIAL SECTION Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper Serving The Communities Of Quartzsite, Ehrenberg, Brenda & Bouse Wed. April 21, 2010 Vol. 6 Issue #108 National Honor Society inducts 25 � ���� Green pool water stirs up panic Quartzsite- The Scholars' Academy held their Junior and National Honor Society Induction Ceremony on Wednesday April 14, 2010 at the Senior Center. The inductees for NHS were; Mindy Thevenin, Gabe Marcurio, Josh Marcurio, Miguel Maldonado, Haley Scott, Kent Smith, Berenice Delfi n, Joe Made- ra, Keersten Dewitt, Cody Purcell, Rickelle Robert- son, Devon Williams, Cheyanne Collier, Ashlee Day, Miguel Heras, Joseph Hager The Inductees for the Junior NHS were; Ericka Martinez, Katherine Joyce, Ashley Farwell, LeeAnn Rees, Jorge Moreira, Juanita Castellanos, Kailey Sil- via, Jessica Rascon and David Romero. The National Honor Society (NHS) and the Na- tional Junior Honor Society (NJHS) are the nation's premier organizations recognizing outstanding mid- dle level and high school students who demonstrate excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, � � � ��������������� ������������������������� ������������ ����������� �������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������� �������������������������������� The Scholars' Academy NHS and Jr. NHS members for 2009-2010 service, and character. NHS and NJHS are proudly sponsored by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). The NASSP-the preemi- nent organization and national voice for middle level and high school leaders-also sponsors the National Association of Student Councils (NASC), which pro- motes and provides leadership development oppor- tunities to prepare and empower students to serve their schools and communities. In order to be named to the honor society, stu- dents must earn a grade point average of 85 percent, equivalent to a B, and show excellence in service, leadership, and character. The Scholars' Academy staff would like to congrat- ulate all of the new members. We would also like to thank the Quartzsite Senior Center for allowing us to hold our ceremony in their hall. QUARTZSITE-When Steve Bennett cleaned and filled his pool and at 785 W. Tyson, he saw green water with sediments at the bottom. Friends of his in the politi- cal scene soon spread around town that there was a "water crisis". According to Bennett, "I'm upset that Alex did not call me back." However, The Town of Quartzsite Utility Dept. and the Quartzsite Fire Dept. arrived on scene Friday, April 16, 2010, and drained the pool. Water samples then were drawn on Saturday morning, April 17, as Town Council members Barbara Cowell and Patricia Anderson, Town Manager Alex Taft, and Town employees were all on the scene. This paper received panicked phone calls Friday night from concerned citizens. Complaints were, "the water is dangerous!", "there's no emergency noti- fi cation in place in town" and photos of a pool with green water and orange mineral deposits were shown to customers at a local restaurant. Panic soon spread and Police Chief Gilbert also was on the scene Satur- day morning. Three samples were taken, one at the meter box, one at the pool intake, and one directly from the pool. The Colilert test results of the three water samples came back with an absence of Total Coliform on all three samples. In layman's terms, the water is safe to drink. According to Rob Troxler, Quartzsite Utilities Director, "In this form of testing, E. Coli is not tested unless the results warrents it with a presence of Total Coliform." According to Town Manager, Alex Taft, "we [the town] tests water regularly as required by law". "The water tanks were drained and cleaned in December". In an email being passed around the Internet, Ben- nett said, "Quartzsite needs a water fi lter system ! ! !" I do not believe this water, before fi ltering, is unsafe ! ! ! just full of sediment..." According to Bennett someone called ADEQ's Linda Taint, from a place "that sounded like a bar", but she would not reveal the name. As of Monday morning, Quartzsite's ADEQ fi eld inspector plans on coming to town Tues. April 20. Taft said, "We want to have them come out just to calm the fears." She also suggested "to put a fi lter on your pool before fi lling."

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