SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A boil-water alert for some areas of San Diego was lifted as the city's tap water was found to be free of contamination and safe to drink, Mayor Jerry Sanders announced Sunday.
The announcement came after two days of comprehensive tests from the Public Utilities Department and the California Department of Public Health, which detected no contaminants in city water.
The City of San Diego initially issued a boil water order to include much of the city, from Otay Mesa to Rancho Bernardo. County officials then noted low water pressure from last week's blackout had made water possibly contaminated in some small water systems in East County and North County.
Those orders were also lifted by the county Department of Environmental Health Sunday, leaving no water contamination alerts in effect anywhere in either the city or county.
"I'm grateful, but not surprised, by how San Diegans rose to the occasion throughout the blackout and its aftermath." the mayor said Sunday.
"We recognize this precaution was an inconvenience for those in the affected neighborhoods, and we're grateful for their patience and cooperation." The boil-water orders were given as a result of a massive power outage that struck San Diego about 3:40 p.m. Thursday.
THIS IS AN UPDATE TO THE PREVIOUS STORY BELOW.
SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - The County of San Diego, Department of Environmental Health has issued supplemental Boil Water Orders and Public Notifications effective immediately for the following locations:
Campo Alternative School: 31360 Dewey Place, Campo, CA 91906
Campo Elementary School: 1654 Buckman Springs Road, Campo, CA 91906
El Capitan Reservoir Recreation Area: 16850 El Monte Road, Lakeside, CA 92040
Julian Oaks Youth Ministries: 1298 Hwy 78, Julian, CA 92036
Muir Industries: 441 Tecate Road, Tecate, CA 91980
Potrero Elementary School: 24875 Potrero Valley Road, Potrero, CA 91963
San Luis Rey Picnic Ground: Hwy 76, Santa Ysabel, CA 92070
Highland East Trailer Park: 39379 Old Hwy 80, Boulevard, CA 91905
THIS IS AN UPDATE TO THE PREVIOUS STORY BELOW.
SAN DIEGO (AP/CBS 8) - The massive outage in San Diego County cut power to water pumps, resulting in sewage spills and a boil water advisory for thousands of households.
Officials say about 2 million gallons of sewage spilled because some pump stations don't have backup power, leading to an overflow of sewage into waterways. The spills forced the closure of more than 10 miles of prime beaches. A second, smaller spill released raw sewage into San Diego Bay.
Lack of water pressure in high-elevation neighborhoods also raised concerns about contamination. Water officials are asking residents to boil water as a precaution until they complete water tests and all samples come back negative.
Helix Water District issued a release Friday afternoon to assure its customers that the district's water quality was never compromised during the power outage, and that no customers were without water during the outage. No boil orders have been issued in the Helix District.
The beach closures prompted organizers to postpone the annual Dog Surf-A-Thon in Del Mar to later this month.
BOIL WATER ADVISORY and BEACH CLOSURES:
Due to pump failures and other problems caused by the blackout, a precautionary Boil Water Advisory has been issued for the following neighborhoods:
SCRIPPS RANCH: North of Miramar Lake, south of Scripps Poway Pkwy, west of city boundary and east of I-15.
OTAY MESA: North of I-905, east of I-805, west of Brown Field, south of city boundary.
RANCHO BERNARDO: East of Hwy 15, north of Bernardo Hts Pkwy, west of city boundary and south of RB Road.
SAN CARLOS: East of Golfcrest, north of Navajo, east of Lake Murray and west of city boundary.
TIERRASANTA: South of 52, west of city boundary, east of Santo Rd. and north of Clairemont Mesa Rd.
LA JOLLA: West of 5, north to La Jolla Parkway.
FLOWER HILL MALL: North of Via de la Valle, east of I-5, west of city boundary.
COLLEGE AREA: Hwy 8 east of Fairmont and 54th, north of Hwy 94 and west to 70th St.
The Boil Water Orders will remain in effect until the distribution systems have been disinfected and samples confirm the absence of bacteria in the water supply.
Additionally, because of the stress on the system, all San Diegans are asked to conserve water.
Tests will be done at 30 sampling sites over the next 24 hours to ensure no contamination occurred as a result of the drop in water pressure due to power outages at two pump stations. Expect this order to last until early Sunday.
Beaches will be closed for at least two days from Scripps Pier north to Cardiff while we test water contaminated by sewage spills due to pump failure during the outage.
For updates on water issues, call (619) 570-1070.
For a map of beach closures, go to http://www.sdcoastkeeper.org/learn/san-diegos-waters/coastal-water.html
