Five Cities residents advised to boil water before drinking due to high bacteria levels

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. – Residents of the Five Cities region -Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, Oceano, Pismo Beach, and Avila Beach- and customers across Zone 3 of the San Miguelito Water Company are instructed to boil their water before drinking it and the notice is expected to last through the weekend.

According to the County of San Luis Obispo, higher than normal amounts of bacteria were detected in the drinking water distribution system during routine testing and staff are working to assess the involved equipment and identify the exact cause.

Water samples collected on April 28 and April 29 indicated elevated levels of bacteria and a resolution of the boil advisory is expected by Sunday, May 4 or sooner shared the County of San Luis Obispo.

The positive samples qualified as a Tier 1 violation under California State Water Resources Control Board regulations and required notification of the public under state law noted the County of San Luis Obispo.

An advisory is available for the public in both English and Spanish.

In the image below, courtesy of the County of San Luis Obispo's Department of Public Works, Zone 3 of the county water system is shown below as the light green highlighted region.

If you live in any of the above cities or are a customer in Zone 3, you are advised to do the following before drinking any water:

• Bring all water to a rolling boil for one minute
• Let the boiled water cool before drinking
• Use boiled or bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth, and food preparation until further notice

The County of San Luis Obispo explained that boiling water kills bacteria and other organisms that can make people sick.

If you can not boil your water, you are advised to use unscented household liquid bleach in the following amounts:

• For clear water, use 8 drops (1/8 of a teaspoon) of bleach for one gallon of water
• For cloudy water, filter through a clean cloth and use 16 drops (1/4 of a teaspoon) of bleach for one gallon of water
• Mix well and allow to stand for 30 minutes before using
• Water may smell or taste like chlorine

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