Poway Water Now Safe To Drink; Advisory Lifted

POWAY, CA — A precautionary boil water advisory issued for Poway last week has been lifted, city officials said Saturday.

The city's 50,000 residents were notified at 6 p.m. Friday that their water is now safe to drink and they don't need to boil their tap water, after the state Water Resource Control Board reviewed final lab tests of the city's water supply.

Poway residents were asked to follow these procedures:

-- Flush water pipes by running the water until it's clear.

-- Do not wash clothes if the water is discolored. Wait until the water runs clear at the tap. Wash a load of dark clothes first.

-- Begin flushing faucet that is the highest up in your home and then open the other faucets one at a time moving from the highest floor to the lowest.

-- Flush and clean any water dispensers and ice makers in your refrigerator, and replace filters.

For more information, visit www.poway.org.

Also, restaurants that have been closed during the testing period can reopen after following cleaning and disinfecting procedures:

-- Run all faucets for three to five minutes to flush the lines with safe water before use.

-- Flush lines and sanitize all ice machines. Dispose of all ice and disinfect ice machines.

-- Flush lines and sanitize coffee machines, post-mix machines and fountain drink machines.

-- Clean and sanitize all fixtures, sinks and equipment connected to water supply lines.

-- Rewash and sanitize all dishes, utensils and work areas.

If restaurant managers have any questions about these procedures, they are asked to call the Department of Environmental Health at 858-565-5255.

The city issued its first citywide boil water advisory on Nov. 30 when residents reported seeing discolored tap water the night before. Tap water was compromised when rainwater entered the water system, officials said.

Residents received bottled water distributed at Lake Poway and City Hall while outside labs tested water samples from throughout the city and sent those test results to state water officials.

The first test of the water came back clean Thursday night, city officials said. A second test on Friday showed the water was safe to drink.

The city said the site of the rainwater contamination, the Clearwell Reservoir, was disinfected and refilled earlier this week.

—By City News Service