UPDATE, GORMAN, CALIF. (Tuesday, June 29, 2010, 9:30 p.m.)–Los Angeles County Health Department issued this Boil Water Alert:
Health Alert: Boil Water Order Issued for Residents of Gorman
LOS ANGELES – Due to a water well pump failure, a precautionary Boil Water Order has been issued for residents living in the Golden Valley Municipal Water District, which includes parts of Gorman. The pump has been repaired and the well is being disinfected. Sampling results to determine the level of bacteria in the water will be available in the next few days. This advisory will be in effect until at least 12:00 p.m. on Friday, July 2, pending test results that measure the bacteria level in the water.
All water in the affected area should be boiled or otherwise disinfected to kill bacteria and other organisms until further notice. This includes water that will be used for drinking and food preparation. Failure to do so may result in stomach or intestinal illness.
Residents living or working in the Golden Valley Municipal Water District are urged to boil or otherwise disinfect all water before using:
# For boiling: bring all water to a boil for one (1) minute, and let cool before using. This is the preferred method to assure that water is safe for drinking and food preparation.
# For chemical disinfection: Add eight (8) drops (or 1/4 teaspoon) of fresh liquid household bleach per gallon of clear water, or 16 drops (1/2 teaspoon) per gallon of cloudy water. Allow to stand for 30 minutes before using. A chlorine-like taste and odor will result from this method, and is an indication that adequate disinfection has taken place.
# Water purification tablets may be used by following the manufacturer’s instructions.
# Alternatively, bottled water may be used.
The Golden Valley Municipal Water District will issue separate notices to all affected customers. For information on notifications to customers, please contact the Golden Valley Municipal Water District at (760) 480- 4840.
For information on purifying potable water, please visit the Public Health Environmental Health website at: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/eh/progs/envirp/dw/dw_wate rsafe.htm, or call the Drinking Water Program during regular business hours at (626) 430-5420.
June 29, 2010 For more information contact:
Public Health Communications
(213) 240-8144 | After-hours/wknds: (213) 990-7107
media@ph.lacounty.gov
UPDATE Gorman (Tuesday, June 29, 2010, 2:30 p.m.)—All restaurants in Gorman are now closed. According to Golden Valley Mutual Water Company Board Member Steve Sonder, a defective submersible pump was removed at noon and is to be replaced by approximately 3 p.m., at which time the system should again be operational.
UPDATE Gorman (Tuesday, June 29, 2010, 11:30 a.m.)—McDonald’s in Gorman is officially closed to business at the moment. No water is being received through the public system. They have not had water since Monday at 9 a.m. On Monday they closed the dining room and were only open for drive-through. They tried bringing water in today, Tuesday, June 29, to open for drive-through only but after an hour closed the facility.
Businesses are hopeful that water service will be restored by 3 p.m.
Gorman (Tuesday, June 29, 2010, 9:30 a.m.)—Community Reporter Jane Gomez called in a Breaking News tip that there is a water system problem in Gorman. She said she thinks it began Sunday evening, affecting local businesses.
The Mountain Enterprise called Gorman’s Golden Valley Mutual Water District and spoke to the secretary, Jan Bircumshaw. She said they had low water pressure due to equipment failure. The water was never completely turned off, she said. They ordered a replacement part and the engineer is at the tank replacing the part as we file this report. We are awaiting a call back from the engineer.
At Carl’s Jr. Manager Roman Camacho said they have experienced low water pressure but they do have water. The Health Department has spoken with the restaurant and Camacho said he is "OK to stay open." He said the pressure is picking up and hopefully it will be running back to normal soon. He thought the location of Carl’s Jr. helped them to continue getting water since the business is downstream.
Tony Casas, manager of The Ranch House Restaurant said they have had very low water pressure since Monday morning at about 8:30 a.m. Buckets of water are being used to clear the plumbing. He said he was told the water district believes they should be able to fix the problem in the next few hours. But "business is usually slow on Mondays so it wasn’t too bad," he said. There was no answer at the Econo Lodge. Jack in the Box say they were not affected by the outage.
—Reported by Pam Sturdevant
This is part of the June 25, 2010 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.
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