By Tracy DeFore, County of San Diego Communications Office
California American Water Company (Cal-Am) reports it has lifted a boil water advisory for affected areas in South County Saturday.
The boil water advisory was put into effect Aug. 24, 2023, due to E. coli contamination in the drinking water. After extensive water testing, Cal-Am and the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water (DDW) determined Saturday afternoon, that the water is now safe to drink. Cal-Am says affected customers no longer have to boil their water or drink bottled water.
Cal-Am says the affected areas in their boil water advisory were portions of Imperial Beach, the City of Coronado south of Fiddler’s Cove, certain customers within the City of San Diego neighborhoods of Nestor and Otay Mesa West, and portions of Southwest Chula Vista. More than 17,000 customer accounts, as many as 106,000 people, were affected by the Cal-Am boil water advisory. The cause of the contamination is still under investigation.
The County Department of Environmental Health and Quality (DEHQ) is working with restaurants to provide updated guidance and resources on how to resume operations now that the boil water advisory is no longer in effect. Restaurants can also contact DEHQ at (858) 505-6900 or [email protected]. No food facility inspection or approval will be needed as part of the restaurant reopening process.
The County is requesting that any businesses affected by Cal-Am’s boil water advisory to complete a voluntary Boil Water Advisory Economic Impact Survey. The information collected will be used to determine if the County should attempt to seek state and/or federal assistance. The deadline for completing the survey is Sept. 15.
For additional information regarding affected schools and guidelines for residential customers, please contact the responsible agency, California American Water, at 1-888-237-1333 or visit the California American alert page.
