Ventura officials have warned hundreds of residents in the Pierpont neighborhood not to use their tap water after gasoline was detected in the city’s water supply near Harbor Boulevard and Monmouth Way.
Authorities have issued a “do not use” order for nearby residents, calling the tap water unsafe and urging them to not use it for drinking, cooking, washing hands, bathing or irrigation until further notice.
An emergency alert was sent to residents and posted on the city’s website on Nov. 25, officials said. Initial reports indicated roughly 900 customers may be affected in an area between San Pedro and Peninsula streets, from Harbor Boulevard to the ocean.
Boiling, freezing, filtering or adding disinfectants will not make the water safe, city officials said.
Only bottled water should be used for drinking, brushing teeth, washing dishes, making ice, food prep and bathing. City officials said they would notify residents when testing confirms that the water is safe again.
City officials said up to 5 gallons of potable water would be available per family per day at Marina Park, 2950 Pierpont Blvd., and the city’s maintenance yard at 336 Sanjon Road. The locations were expected to be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Over a year ago, a gas-like odor spread through the city’s beachside Pierpont neighborhood, prompting two evacuations in four days. More than a week after initial reports, agencies said they traced the source to the Sinclair gas station on Harbor Boulevard.
An estimated 2,000 gallons of fuel leaked, some spilling into groundwater and the city’s sewer system. A sheen was spotted in the city’s sewer system, and officials said there were cracks in the line where the fuel likely ate its way into the pipe.
Gasoline also was found in groundwater monitoring wells. But at the time, the spill had not affected storm drains or the city’s water system.
State officials have called the incident a “catastrophic failure” of safety precautions. Ventura Water have isolated and bypassed a section of the sewer line and set up monitoring wells for the drinking water and other utilities.
After the spill, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board required Neda Oil Inc., the station’s owner, to submit a proposal to do that work. Plans submitted by FREY Environmental Inc., on behalf of Neda Oil resulted in digging a series of wells and collecting soil and vapor samples at the site, roughly a quarter-mile from the ocean.
On Nov. 25, monitoring wells for the city’s drinking water supply in the area detected gasoline for the first time, said city spokesperson Jennifer Nance.
More information is available at cityofventura.ca.gov/2570/Emergency-Alert.
This story will be updated.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura warns tap water unsafe in a Pierpont area after gas detected
Reporting by Cheri Carlson, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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