MAGNA, Utah — Thirty-four thousand people in Magna are not allowed to drink tap water for up to 48 hours after a raccoon snuck inside a water tank.
The raccoon was found Wednesday night by divers inspecting a half-million-gallon tank, according to Magna Water District General Manager Terry Pollock.
“They got the raccoon out of there and we immediately turned the tank off.”
A bridge construction project next to the tanks likely provided a way for the raccoon to crawl inside the giant tank, according to Pollock. He suspects a contractor installing new lines near the bottom of the tank forgot to cover a portal.
“We think it was in there about a week and a half. But the water is so cold it really had it preserved real good. It hadn’t decomposed at all. We were very lucky that way.”
Roughly 8,300 homes are under the mandatory boil order issued Thursday. Tap water should not be used for drinking, cooking or brushing teeth.
“I really don’t believe that our water is contaminated but this is a precaution.”
Tests on dozens of waters samples are expected to come back Friday afternoon to see if there was any contamination. Pollock says it’s unlikely they’ll come back with bad news.
Magna Water District will make the water bottles available for pick up starting tomorrow morning April 10, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. for concerned customers.