Mountain View water crisis: Residents can drink after boiling, officials say

After a week without water, 67 Mountain View households may now use boiled tap water for drinking and cooking purposes.

The city shut off water service to households last week when a slurry mix came into contact with a water main while a contractor was working to replace the pipe near the intersection of Bonita Avenue and Cuesta Drive. Officials issued a “Do Not Use Water” advisory to residents later that night and water tests later came back positive for coliform bacteria.

The impacted streets include the 600 block of Cuesta Drive, the 600-700 block of Leona Lane, Montalto Drive, Drucilla Drive and Carla Court. Residents were told not use the water for drinking, cooking, washing their hands or bathing.

City officials changed the “Do Not Use Water” notice to a “Boil Water” notice Friday night, following a week of water quality monitoring and pipeline inspection and flushing, the city said. Affected residents may now use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking and cooking purposes. Officials warned that tap water must be boiled for at least one minute or it may not be safe to use for drinking and cooking.

The city also directed residents to flush their household plumbing and appliances by flushing the cold water plumbing for 20 minutes, flushing each toilet and flushing all outside spigots for 10 minutes. Residents are also advised to flush their hot water plumbing for 75 minutes and to flush and clean all other appliances, including dishwashers, washing machines and refrigerator water dispensers.

The city also directed residents to discard potentially contaminated food and water, like ice trays and food or drinks made with tap water before the “Do Not Use Water” notice was issued.

Officias said residents will not be charged for water used to flush household plumbing fixtures and appliances in response to this incident. Residents who need help carrying out the instructions for flushing their water lines and appliances can call 650-903-6081, Option 1, for assistance.

Mountain View officials said they anticipate a status update on fully restoring water services in the coming days. For more information, including resources for residents, visit MountainView.gov/CuestaWaterMain.