Residents in some parts of Southern California have been urged to boil drinking water amid concerns over E. coli contamination.
Late on Thursday Pacific Time, local provider Californian American Water (CAW) issued an "Advisory to Boil Water" to customers in southwestern parts of San Diego County.
The advisory comes after E. coli was detected in samples of drinking water, CAW said in a statement. Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacteria that normally lives in the intestines of healthy people and animals.
Most types of E. coli are harmless or cause brief periods of diarrhea. But some strains, such as O157:H7, are more serious, and have the potential to cause severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting.
Healthy adults tend to recover from infection with more serious strains such as O157:H7 within a week. Some groups, however, such as young children, the elderly and people with severely compromised immune systems, are at higher risk. A small number of people develop a life-threatening form of kidney failure due to E. coli infection.
The bacteria, which can be found in human and animal waste, may find their way into groundwater, as well as streams, rivers, lakes and irrigation systems.
The latest boil water advisory covers a large part of San Diego County's South Bay area and applies to around 17,000 customers—which includes both homes and businesses—CAW spokesperson Brian Barreto told NBC 7.
It applies to customers in the city of Imperial Beach and Coronado (south of Fiddler's Cove)—as well as portions of the city of San Diego, Chula Vista and San Ysidro, CAW said in the statement.
The boil water advisory is expected to last at least until 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Barreto told NBC 7.
The California Division of Drinking Water (CDDW) in conjunction with CAW is advising affected customers not to drink tap water without boiling it first—or to use bottled water—for drinking and cooking purposes as a safety precaution.
The CDDW recommends boiling water for three minutes and letting it cool before using—or using bottled water—until further notice.
"Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. This is the preferred method to assure that the water is safe to drink," CAW said in the statement.
"Alternatively, you may add eight drops of unscented, household bleach to one gallon of water and let sit for 30 minutes."
CAW is also asking affected customers to immediately discontinue any non-essential water usage, including outdoor irrigation.
CAW said, if customers have any questions, they should call the company's customer service center at 888-237-1333. For updated information, customers can visit the company's website at www.californiaamwater.com and view the Alerts Notifications section.
"Please be advised that the company is doing all it can to make sure water is of the highest quality and anticipate resolving the problem within 24-48 hours," CAW said. "California American Water will provide information as to when the advisory is lifted."
The exact cause of the drinking water contamination is still being investigated. However, Barreto told NBC 7 that it may have been the result of the recent tropical storm Hilary stirring up contaminants in groundwater.
Newsweek has contacted Californian American Water for comment via email.
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Aristos is a Newsweek science reporter with the London, U.K., bureau. He reports on science and health topics, including; animal, ... Read more
