Water system operator's suspension upheld in E. coli case

YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

OLYMPIA -- A health law judge has upheld the state Department of Health's decision to suspend the license of the water system operator at the Washington Beef processing plant in Toppenish.

The system operator, Sherry Byers-Eddy, had appealed the suspension last year.

The health department had charged that Byers-Eddy jeopardized the health of nearly 800 employees at Washington Beef by waiting several days to post required warnings after testing in June 2007 found the presence of E. coli bacteria in the plant's drinking water system.

The judge's order upholding her suspension concluded that Byers-Eddy, who was the certified water-works operator at Washington Beef at the time, "committed gross acts of negligence" by failing to meet state notification requirements, according to a health department news release.

After water samples at the plant confirmed the presence of E. coli, state health officials issued an order to boil all water at the facility. The company subsequently sent most of its employees home and shut down processing for a couple days until the water contamination problem was resolved.

The company also took the precautionary step of recalling more than 80,000 pounds of beef, most of which had not been distributed to consumers. There were no reports of illness from the incident.

The six-month suspension of Byers-Eddy took effect earlier this month, although she may continue to appeal.