Well woes close Elmira Store's cafe

ELMIRA — One of the few respites for hungry travelers commuting from Bonners Ferry to Sandpoint is in danger of permanently shutting down.

The Elmira Store, which had been serving home-style food for decades, was recently forced to abandon its restaurant component after it’s water well was deemed to be out of compliance, according to store owner Ed Cook.

Cook said he was told he would not be granted a food establishment license by the Panhandle Heath District until he put in a new commercial well or relocated his septic tank, which he said would cost approximately $35,000. He said he has tried to reach a compromise with PHD, but to no avail.

“They’re taking a hard line,” he said. “They’re saying pick the whole building up and move it 100 feet or put in a new commercial well.”

For their part, PHD officials said they have worked with Cook for years trying to resolve the issue, but added that their hands are tied because the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality has final say on issues of public safety.

“What it all comes down to is that DEQ disapproved of the Elmira Store’s water system, and they’re the enforcement body for public water systems,” said Cynthia Taggart, PHD’s public information officer.

Taggart said PHD has been aware of the well since 2002, but allowed Cook to continue operations at the restaurant because DEQ had yet to rule on the matter. That changed in late 2007, when coliform — a bacteria — was found in the water system, according to Taggart.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s contaminated, but it shows that something is present and something is getting into the water. So that raises red flags,” Taggart said.

Cook, who has owned the store since 1991, said it would be a blow to the community if the restaurant permanently shuts down.

“We’ve offered real, reasonable, good quality food for 18 years and we’re just not a profit-oriented thing,” he said. “We have hundreds of customers that are very upset.”

Cook said he laid off 13 employees when the restaurant shut down and might be forced to sell the property if an agreement with PHD cannot be worked out.