LAKE COUNTY — Water pressure dropped and shut off without warning Thursday in Finley and some parts of Kelseyville, necessitating a 48-hour boil water order for the area.
The approximately 800 customers affected from State Street in Kelseyville to Finley should have received a notice at their door Thursday afternoon and a reverse 9-1-1 call, deputy administrator Pete Preciado of Special Districts said. The California Department of Public Health advises affected customers to use boiled water or bottled water for drinking and cooking.
The low water pressure and outages Thursday morning possibly stemmed from a valve placed on a water line for repairs on Main Street in Kelseyville, Preciado said. Crews then fixed the problem by about 1 p.m. and started distributing the boil water orders.
Preciado said the water pressure drop and shutoff shouldn”t have happened.
Ann Mayers of Kelseyville said she noticed her water was shut off about 8:30 a.m. Though she”s just a residential customer, she said she”s upset that she didn”t get a notice until about 3 p.m.
“I don”t have kids. I don”t have any issues. My life isn”t complicated,” Mayers said. “But there must be a lot of mothers at home with a whole lot of kids having a difficult time with the plumbing all screwed up.”
Preciado said his staff posted notices as quick as it could.
Marie Beery of the SawShop Gallery Bistro said she wishes she had received the notice before the lunch hour.
“I was drinking it all morning,” Beery said Thursday.
The effect to her business is that bistro customers can only choose between bottled water and alcohol without ice until the order is lifted, Beery said.
“My kitchen is good because all of the water is boiled,” Beery said. “Customers are just limited on what they can drink.”
The Public Health Department will lift the boil water order once they have two days in a row of bacteria-free samples, Preciado said.
All tap water used for drinking or cooking should be boiled rapidly for at least one minute, according to the notice. It is the preferred method to assure that the water is safe to drink. An alternative method of purification for residents that are unable to boil their water is to use fresh liquid household bleach such as Clorox or Purex. To do so, add eight drops or 1/4 teaspoon of bleach per gallon of clear water or 16 drops or 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of cloudy water, mix thoroughly, and allow to stand 30 minutes before using. A chlorine-like taste and odor will result from this purification procedure and is an indication that adequate disinfection has taken place. Water purification tablets may also be used by following the manufacturers” instructions.
