Company taking over management of Island Park Water striving to get boil orders lifted soon
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ISLAND PARK — The firm temporarily managing Island Park Water Company is striving to get the boil orders lifted as soon as possible. It’s the priority on a long list of responsibilities Big Springs Water Company LLC has taken on.
Plagued by water quality, maintenance and reporting issues, Island Park Water Company came under receivership on Sept. 15 by order of the court. That means Big Springs Water Company now manages Island Park Water Company.
As the receiver, Big Springs additionally is responsible for ensuring Island Park Water’s systems are brought up to federal and state standards and finding new ownership for them.
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In a news release sent out on Monday, Big Springs notified residents of the change of management, as required by law. Affected subdivisions and neighborhoods include the following:
- Valley View Subdivision
- Aspen Ridge Subdivision
- Shotgun North
- Shotgun Cherokee Subdivision 5
- Shotgun Kickapoo Subdivision 6
- Shotgun South Stevens
- Goose Bay Estates
No name change
As far as day-to-day operations go, not much will change on the customers’ side of things. Billing and collections and other management duties will be performed or subcontracted by Island Park Water Company under the management of Big Springs Water Company.
“Everything is remaining in the Island Park Water Company name,” Dustin Parkinson, owner and operator of Big Springs Water, told EastIdahoNews.com.
Customers will continue to get bills from Island Park Water Company and should make payments to Island Park Water Company. Additionally, all communications, documents and legal correspondence will continue under Island Park Water’s name.
“Big Springs Water Company LLC is not the permanent owner of Island Park Water Company or these systems,” Parkinson said. “(It) is simply the new manager acting in Island Park Water Company’s name.”
Priorities
“The most important thing is … to assess and prioritize what needs to be corrected in the systems to have the biggest impact,” Parkinson said. “We’ll be working as quickly as we can to efficiently and effectively get some boil orders — hopefully — lifted.”
Parkinson’s other company, Mountain West Water Works, is already working toward that goal. While Big Springs Water manages the water systems and day-to-day operations, Mountain West Water Works’ consultants and technicians will be performing the upgrades and maintenance on the systems. Mountain West has been working with the city of Roberts recently, and it assisted the city of Blackfoot in 2021.
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“(Mountain West Water Works has) years of experience in maintaining and operating water systems across Idaho — combined, the operators have over 100 years of experience doing this work on water systems,” Parkinson said.
Secondary to making the drinking water safe is sorting through legal and financial issues, Parkinson said. Those obligations must be resolved before a new owner can take over. Big Springs has until mid-November to submit a plan for liquidating and dissolving Island Park Water Company entirely and leaving the water systems in the hands of a new owner.
‘A long road’
“‘Patience’ is the word of the day,” Parkinson told EastIdahoNews.com.
He asks that folks in Island Park be understanding during the coming months.
“We understand how long of a road it has been to get where we are today and are very aware of the long road ahead,” he said in the news release. He said the goal is getting the water systems “to a new owner and a bright, healthy future,” and that is going to take some effort and time.
Customers can get updates on the process on Big Springs Water Company’s website or Facebook page. The company can also be reached by calling (208) 483-1973 or emailing office@bigspringswaterco.com.