Los Angeles residents living in areas affected by the recent wildfires in Southern California have been told to boil their tap water before drinking or cooking.
On Wednesday, January 8, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power issued a water advisory for Pacific Palisades and neighboring communities “north of San Vicente Blvd” due to “heavy ash, debris and pressure fluctuations.”
Why are the fires in LA so bad, is the city running out of water and is the fire department getting a budget cut? What we know
“The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and the Drinking Water Division of the State Water Resources Management Board strongly advise consumers in the 90272 zip code and neighboring communities in LADWP’s service area north of San Vicente Blvd. to USE BOILED WATER ONLY OR BOTTLED WATER FOR DRINKING AND COOKING until further notice due to low water pressure in the water distribution system resulting from heavy water use in response to the Pacific Wildfire Palisades,” the notice said.
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Consumers are urged to follow the advisory “out of an abundance of caution” while LADWP officials work to “re-pressurize the system and conduct tests to confirm water quality.” The warning said that “disease-causing organisms”, including viruses, parasites and bacteria, could be present in the water and cause symptoms “such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches”.
Dropping water from a helicopter on the Hollywood Hills fire.
Mario Tama/Getty
In addition to cooking and drinking, residents were encouraged to boil water, which is also “used for brushing teeth, making ice cubes and preparing food such as washing groceries.”
“Boil all tap water, allow to boil for one (1) minute, and allow to cool before use,” the notice continued.
The water alert comes just a day after a fire broke out in the region, burning more than 11,000 hectares and destroying dozens of homes. As firefighters battled the raging blaze, water stopped flowing through multiple fire hydrants – leaving crews unable to extinguish the blazes.
LA officials blame ‘tremendous demand’ for hydrants that run dry during fires
“We’ve had tremendous requests for our system in Palisades. We pushed the system to the limit,” Janisse Quiñones, executive director and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said during a press conference on Wednesday, January 8, adding that it was “four times the normal demand.”
“If there’s a message you took away from me today, it’s that I need our customers to really conserve water,” Quiñones urged. “Not only in the Palisades area, but in the entire system because firefighters need water to fight fires,” Quiñones added.
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A picture of bottled water and a glass of water.
Getty
The city of Pasadena issued a similar “do not drink water advisory” on Thursday, Jan. 9, for those affected by the nearby Eaton fire, but only bottled water is strongly advised because simply boiling tap water “will not make the water safe to drink. ”
“Bottled water should be used for drinking (including baby formula and juice), brushing teeth, washing dishes, making ice and preparing food until further notice. This also applies to pets and farm animals.”
“In addition,” their notice continued, “do not attempt to treat the water yourself. Boiling, freezing, filtering, adding chlorine or other disinfectants, or letting the water sit will not make the water safe to drink.”
Both cities are conducting tests to determine when tap water will be safe to drink again, which take at least 48 hours to conduct “in accordance with public safety protocols.”
Click here to learn more about how to help the victims of the LA fires.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education