Five Cities residents advised to boil water after bacteria found in water system

Residents in the Five Cities area should boil their water before drinking or food preparation after bacteria was found in the drinking water distribution system, according to the San Luis Obispo County Public Works Department.

The boil water notice affects people in Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, Oceano, Pismo Beach, and Avila Beach, and other customers of the San Miguelito Water Company (Zone 3).

County Public Works reports that routine sampling of the water found repeated positive samples showing bacteria, resulting in a California State Water Resources Control Board violation.

People in the affected areas should use bottled water or boil their water following these instructions:

• Boil all water for one (1) minute (rolling boil).
• Let water cool before drinking.
• Use boiled or bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth, and food preparation until further notice.
• Boiling water kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.

If you are unable to boil your water, officials suggest using household unscented liquid bleach following these instructions:

• For clear water, use 8 drops (1/8 tsp.) of bleach for 1 gallon of water. For cloudy water, filter through a clean cloth and use 16 drops (1/4 tsp.) of bleach for 1 gallon of water.
• Mix well. Allow to stand for 30 minutes before using.
• Water may taste or smell like chlorine. This means disinfection has occurred.

SLO County Public Works Dept.

County officials say they will alert affected residents by Reverse 911 and AlertSLO when the boil water notice is lifted.

Click hereto sign up for text message and email alerts through AlertSLO.

In a notice sent to Pismo Beach residents, officials said they expect the issue to be resolved by Sunday, May 4, or sooner.

Pismo Beach City Manager Jorge Garcia also posted the following message to residents Wednesday evening on Facebook:

A message from Arroyo Grande Mayor Caren Ray Russom on Instagram:

According to the Lucia Mar Unified School District, the following schools and all district offices are affected by the boil water notice:

• Arroyo Grande High School
• Judkins Middle School
• Paulding Middle School
• Fairgrove Elementary
• Grover Beach Elementary
• Grover Heights Elementary
• Harloe Elementary
• Ocean View Elementary
• Oceano Elementary
• Shell Beach Elementary