The boil water notice for 21 homes near Cuesta Park will not be lifted until at least Monday, May 18, due to another positive bacteria test, city officials said in an email on Tuesday night.
Crews have been cleaning a contaminated water pipe in the Mountain View neighborhood since last week, culminating in a series of tests intended to lift restrictions on the group of homes with limited water access since April 24. One of the water samples collected on May 11 from the water pipe on Drucilla Drive between Montalto Drive and Leona Lane tested positive for coliform bacteria, pushing the resumption of full water access through at least the weekend.
Lenka Wright, the city’s chief communications officer, said Wednesday that the city was determining the next steps to remediate the contamination.
The city remains in contact with the California State Water Resources Control Board, the agency responsible for testing the water samples and lifting the water restrictions.
The positive test follows a city-led effort of a “super chlorination” of the water pipe intended to rid the pipe of contamination. Conducted by Bay Area contractor West Valley Construction Co., the cleaning and flushing of the pipes required temporary water lines to be connected to the affected homes. The homes in the affected area were given access to water under the BWN after crews connected the homes to an alternate source.
The city will continue to provide hotel rooms, meal and incidentals per diem payments, and access to shower facilities for the residents of these homes through the morning of Monday, May 18.
Originally, there were 67 households in the Cuesta Park neighborhood under a no-use water notice since April 24 after a city contractor, C2R Engineering, allowed cement slurry to get into a water main during replacement work. The notice was reduced to a boil water notice (BWN) on May 1, following a round of testing which showed the pipes clear of bacteria. Follow-up tests still indicated the presence of bacteria on Drucilla Drive (between Leona Lane and Montalto Drive) and Carla Court, however, prompting city officials to undertake a site-specific wash of the water pipes.
Last week, 46 homes in the Cuesta Park neighborhood regained full access to their residential water service without any restrictions. The boil water notice remained in place for 21 homes on Drucilla Drive and Carla Court.
Residents can contact (650) 903-6081 or email Wa**********@**********ew.gov if they need assistance.
