Is Imperial Beach’s water polluted? The cooking warning continues

SAN DIEGO — During a news conference Friday, San Diego County officials updated the public on an ongoing boil-water recommendation affecting Coronado’s Silver Strand and surrounding areas.

The recommendation affects customers of the California America Water utility, including portions of Imperial Beach and Chula Vista.

The recommendation went into effect Thursday after E. coli bacteria were discovered in drinking water systems. Since then, residents have been in affected areas It was strongly recommended to either boil the water before use or use bottled water.

San Diego County Board of Trustees Chair Nora Vargas says the county has been working closely with the state, water board and other local authorities in response to this situation.

“I was keen to emphasize that our county emergency operations have been activated and are organizing coordination events with all city managers,” Vargas said.

She says affected companies will have the opportunity to take part in a survey to detail the impact on officials. They will then follow up with any assistance they may need.

As for the timeline for the duration of this boiling water alert, there are several steps that need to be completed before things get going again.

“California American is conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the contamination. Once the source is identified and repaired, the water system needs to be flushed and then two passes or cleaning samples are required before we can actually lift the alert,” Vargas said.

The system has 17,219 service connections affecting approximately 106,000 people. Currently, the cause of the E. coli contamination is currently unknown.

“It is critical for us to receive accurate and timely information from California American and the State Water Agency so that we can share it with our communities,” Vargas continued.

The district leader says she asked the state to do just that because this situation is having a major impact on the area’s businesses, schools, healthcare facilities and more.

“I am asking the public and communities to follow the CDC guidelines for the boil water notice,” Vargas said.

You can find out more about what to do during a cooking consultation here.

California American has a water collection point at its Imperial Beach operations center at 1025 Palm Ave. for people in affected areas. Work is currently underway to set up further distribution locations.