Long Beach utility officials have confirmed the city’s tap water is safe, ending a boil-water notice that affected thousands of residents and businesses after a major pipeline break in the California Heights area.
The breach near Orange Avenue and Wardlow Road flooded roadways and caused nearby homes and businesses to lose water pressure Wednesday morning. Such a major loss of pressure can sometimes make tap water unsafe to drink when it’s restored.
“We have no evidence to tell us it’s unsafe to drink,” Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said during a briefing Thursday, but the city warned residents in the affected neighborhoods not to consume tap water or use it for cooking until they’re given the all-clear — a process that took about 24 hours.
The warning applied to large parts of the Bixby Knolls and North Long Beach areas.
After the break, crews restored water service on Wednesday afternoon, and the flooded streets began to reopen, but complications from the repairs soon sent water gushing back into roadways near Orange and Wardlow on Thursday.
Long Beach Utilities Laboratory Services Manager Kevin Hoang said a secondary break occurred in a 20-inch cast iron pipeline when crews repressurized the line while testing it. He estimated the damaged section is roughly 100 years old.
Flooding from the new break again shut down Orange Avenue between Wardlow Road and 37th Street, causing major disruptions for neighbors and businesses like Stay Tailored Barbershop where Sandee Riley said she had to cancel all of her appointments Wednesday. On Thursday, the area outside the business was caked with mud and dirt.
Traffic disruptions could last for “several days,” Councilmember Megan Kerr said. Residents on Orange Avenue will be allowed to access their homes if they show ID.
Those affected by the boil-water notice were able to pick up bottled water at Houghton Park and Somerset Park Thursday.
While the notice was in effect, health officials warned against using water directly from the tap for drinking, cooking or even brushing your teeth. However, Long Beach Health Officer Dr. Anissa Davis emphasized that this was a precautionary measure.
“No need to worry if you brushed your teeth like I did this morning with our current water supply,” she said Thursday.
Long Beach Utilities initially assured people that the tap water was safe to drink after it restored service Wednesday and began flushing the system.
“The flushing removes naturally occurring sediment that settled after the loss of water pressure that occurred earlier today,” the department said in a Facebook post. “The sediment is not harmful to human health, however, we do want to remove it from the system as soon as possible — flushing helps to achieve that goal.”
Officials then issued the boil-water notice late Wednesday night, hours after the initial break had been repaired and when many residents were sleeping.
Jordan Horowitz, who has lived in Cal Heights for 11 years, said he found out about the warning Thursday morning when he got an email from Kerr, his city councilmember.
“We’ve been drinking the water until about three hours ago,” Horowitz said Thursday afternoon.
He called the city’s efforts “disappointing and inadequate.” He hopes to get important notifications in a more timely manner now that he’s learned about and signed up for Long Beach Alert, the city’s emergency messaging system.
Officials have not explained the timing of the boil-water notice. They did not take questions at the live-streamed briefing Thursday.