OLYMPIA — Three months after the December 2007 floods, the hardest hit water utilities in Lewis County have made significant progress toward restoring their water systems.

The Boistfort Valley Water System ended a months-long bottled-water advisory for its customers today. Boistfort Valley and the Town of Pe Ell’s water systems were among 32 systems in Southwest Washington that lost water or power and sustained damage in the rain and windstorms. Both of the Lewis County water systems had severe damage to equipment and infrastructure from flooding.

"I have seen the devastation in the Boistfort area firsthand and while recovery for December’s floods will no doubt be long-term, this is wonderful news for our friends in the Boistfort Valley," said Gov. Chris Gregoire. "Many of us take things like safe drinking water for granted, but the activation of a water system over three months after the floods should signal to the rest of the state that there is still work to be done. I applaud the hard work done to get the water system back up and running."

Secretary of Health Mary Selecky pledged to continue supporting the work to restore and improve the water systems in Boistfort and Pe Ell.

"We’ve been working closely with these two communities as both of these water systems have faced monumental struggles," Selecky said. "They’ve done a remarkable job of working to restore service and keeping their customers informed as they go. A safe and reliable supply of drinking water is an important part of our public health mission, and we’ll continue supporting these systems in any way we can."

Although the Boistfort Valley Water System is not fully restored, it is able to treat water to meet drinking water standards. Utility managers hope there won’t be additional service disruptions, but caution that the system still isn’t 100 percent.

Boistfort Valley’s consultants, Lewis County, and the state Department of Health have helped the utility apply for disaster relief aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other organizations. Water system managers also are seeking funding for improvements that will make the system less vulnerable to seasonal flooding.

"The staff, management and Board of Directors of Boistfort Valley Water would like to thank everyone involved for their support and help in dealing with this disaster," said Rich Eitel, general manager of the utility. "We would also like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding throughout this crisis."

Meanwhile, the nearby Town of Pe Ell began pumping water from the Chehalis River into its treatment plant on March 14. The December storms destroyed intake lines from both of the Town’s water sources — Lester Creek and the Chehalis River. Since December, Pe Ell had been taking water from a seasonal, spring-fed creek and filtering it. With help from contractors, consultants, and the Department of Health, the town designed and rebuilt its Chehalis River Intake and Pump Station in less than three months.

Pe Ell was not under an official boil-water advisory; however, the community issued a voluntary precautionary health advisory for infants, the elderly, and residents with fragile immune systems because the town had to run previously untested source water through the water treatment plant.

Pe Ell also is seeking state and federal assistance for its recovery efforts.

"We appreciate all the help we got," said Pe Ell Mayor Spencer Nichols. He noted that the community received help from many quarters, including donated services from engineers, consultants and others.