By Patric Hedlund with reporting by Gary Meyer

Residents of Los Padres Estates in Lebec awoke on Saturday morning, January 23, to an unwelcome surprise. Some found notices posted on their fences from Krista Mutual Water Company and the State Water Resources Control Board. The flyers told them a laboratory had found an indicator for fecal matter in a water sample from one of Krista’s wells.

“Do not drink the water before boiling it first,” the flyer ordered.

It said E. coli bacteria can cause…(please see below to view full stories and photographs)

Photo captions:

When Krista Mutual Water Company said their water sample contained E. coli bacteria, Joyce and Chuck Noble were prepared. They have a system for boiling all their water and storing it in gallon jugs.

Right: Krista Mutual Water Company’s Well Number One as it was being repaired in September 2014 after a pump replacement made a ‘boil water’ order necessary. Left: The well and its housing on Lebec Road sit adjacent to an equestrian facility with another stable across the street from the water source.

Krista Mutual Water Company’s Well Number One and housing on Lebec Road sit adjacent to an equestrian facility with another across the road.

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This is part of the January 29, 2016 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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