City of Santa Paula lifts do not drink notice for local tap water after break-in near reservoir
SANTA PAULA, Calif. – The City of Santa Paula issued a warning to residents of parts of the city to not drink or cook with water from their tap after a break-in at the Main Reservoir Tank on Monday.
Here is a Spanish-language version of the community alert.
As of 4:58 p.m., the Do Not Drink notice has been lifted as the city's water was deemed unaffected and safe to drink and use, according to Santa Paula city officials.
The warning was issued as a precautionary measure and a search of the reservoir returned no visible contaminants inside detailed the city's civic alerts website.
According to the City of Santa Paula, residents can use tap water for bathing, but bottled water should used for all drinking, food preparation, and ice-making and residents are warned that treating tap water on your own may not make the water safe to consume.
Alternative water sources have been set up by the city at the Water Treatment Plant behind the Community Center at 532 Main Street but residents are asked to bring their own water containers stated the city.
The city indicated the warning impacts about half of Santa Paula's residents as well as businesses and the entire process to verify safe drinking water could take up to five days to complete.
On Tuesday, the City of Santa Paula also added pets and livestock residing in the areas designated below to the water advisory.
The images below show the areas affected by the civic alert.
The images below from the City of Santa Paula list addresses that are also impacted by the warnings.
On Monday, the city's water team found a security breach at the perimeter of the city's Main Reservoir which is part of the storage and distribution network for water services in the city explained the City of Santa Paula.
According to Santa Paula, the tank was shut off from the main water supply to prevent the spread of possible contamination and a warning was issued to residents in parts of the city serviced by the tank to not use water.
After a further investigation by Santa Paula Police, clothing and personal items were found left behind in the area around the reservoir shared the city.
While staff were draining the reservoir, obstructed drain channels caused unexpected flooding on Ojai Road by Mill Park and city staff have paused the draining process detailed the City of Santa Paula.
For more information, visit vcemergency.com or call 805-340-5669.
