Update: The city lifted the order shortly before 12:30 p.m. Nov. 26. For more information, find an updated story here.
Ventura officials have warned hundreds of residents in the Pierpont neighborhood not to use their tap water after trace amounts of gasoline was detected in the city’s water supply near Harbor Boulevard and Monmouth Way.
Authorities have issued a “do not use” order for the nearby area, calling the tap water unsafe and urging residents to not use it for drinking, cooking, washing hands, bathing or irrigation until further notice.
Trace amounts of contaminants consistent with gasoline had been found in the area of a previous leak into the sewer system, officials said. The city issued the notice out of an abundance of caution, under the direction of the State Division of Drinking Water.
Initial reports indicated roughly 900 customers were affected by the order, 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. They were expected to meet with staff from the state’s drinking water division Wednesday morning.
Where can Pierpont residents pick up water?
In the meantime, up to 5 gallons of potable water will be available per family per day at the city’s maintenance yard at 336 Sanjon Road.
The location was expected to be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
On Tuesday, supplies had run out at a second spot in Marina Park, 2950 Pierpont Blvd. But that location was expected to reopen at 8 a.m. Wednesday.
City officials said they sent notifications via VC Alert to more than 1,600 contacts on Tuesday. Some residents, however, reported not receiving the alerts or getting them later in the day.
How could gasoline contaminate the water supply?
It was unclear exactly how the gasoline may have gotten into the drinking water supply.
Over a year ago, a gas-like odor spread through the 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.
State officials called the incident a “catastrophic failure” of safety precautions.
Gasoline also was found in groundwater monitoring wells. But at the time, the spill had not affected storm drains or the city’s drinking water system.
Ventura Water isolated and bypassed a section of the sewer line and set up a system to monitor the drinking water and other utilities, officials said.
After the spill, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board required Neda Oil Inc., the station’s owner, to submit a proposal for monitoring and to trace the extent of the leak. 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.
Will Pierpont school, businesses close?
City officials said most of those affected by the “do not use” order were residential customers, but 16 commercial locations also were impacted.
Earlier, Pierpont elementary, part of the Ventura Unified School District, was included on the list of affected customers. But as of Tuesday evening, officials said the campus was no longer included within the order’s boundaries.
The Marriott hotel and restaurant on Harbor Boulevard were both closed, said Mark Van Daalwyk, front desk manager. The hotel also was not accepting new reservations for at least the next few days, he said.
Some guests, who did not want to be relocated to another hotel at the Ventura Harbor, were allowed to stay but were told not to use the tap water, according to Van Daalwyk. Mobile showers were expected to be set up in the parking lot on Wednesday, and the hotel also had bottled water for guests.
Ramiro Villegas, owner of Lucky Sushi & Ramen on Harbor Boulevard, said he was told to close.
“Everyone in this village right now is shut down,” he said late Tuesday afternoon. “It sucks but what can we do?”
Villegas said he will have to remain closed until further notice, but plans to update his website and social media when the issue is resolved.
“It’s a Tuesday. It’s a little slow,” he said. “But either way, money’s money, a loss is a loss. I just feel upset, very upset.”
Other businesses off Harbor Boulevard closed because of the water problems including Big Bear Diner, Vons and Starbucks. Justin Dreyfuss’ Coastal Postal & Video store remained open. But the Pierpont area resident who lives just outside the restricted area worried about other ripple effects, namely cooking for Thanksgiving.
“Everyone’s going to have to start prepping (Wednesday),” he said, noting it’s unclear if the problems will be resolved. “That’s going to be hard.”
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, Wes Woods II and Tom Kisken, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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