E. Coli Found in Gorman Water

The bacteria E. coli has been detected in the water distribution system that serves this tiny mountain community, health officials said Sunday. Restaurants have been forced to close and residents have been warned to boil their water to avoid getting sick.

In documents posted around town, the Golden Valley Municipal Water District said the bacteria, which can cause severe gastrointestinal problems, was first detected Thursday.

The documents say the water agency is collecting water samples to determine the source of the problem -- possibilities include runoff, a break in the pipes or a failure in the water-treatment process -- and is flushing out the distribution system. Residents have been warned to boil water before using it for drinking, cooking, making ice or other uses.

Richard Wagener, director of environment protection for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services’ Division of Environmental Health, said health officials took new water samples Saturday. Those samples were clean, and once a second consecutive sample is clear of contamination, the boiled-water order will be lifted. The documents posted in Gorman say the problem could be resolved today.

There were no reports Sunday night that anyone had become sick because of the contamination, Wagener said. He called the contamination “pretty unusual.”

Emil Dabas, who has lived here since 1997, estimated that there are about 40 families in Gorman. He said he is worried about the health of his wife and his 23-year-old daughter, as well as that of his parents, who live nearby and, he discovered, had been drinking water from the tap until Sunday.

“Everybody is worried about it,” he said. “But there’s nothing we can do about it. The only thing we can do is wait until they clean it. The reality is that we’re supposed to have good, clean water. And we don’t.”

Water district officials in the Gorman area could not be reached Sunday. Urban Schreiner, an attorney who represents the agency, said that he had not heard of the contamination Sunday night.

The unincorporated community of Gorman, north of Santa Clarita, west of Lancaster and south of Bakersfield, is a popular stopping point for travelers on Interstate 5.

On Sunday night, streets were largely empty, except for a smattering of drivers looking to grab a bite before continuing south toward Los Angeles. Restaurants such as Sizzler’s, Brian’s Diner and Carl’s Jr. had posted closed signs.

A gas station employee, who declined to give her name, said most businesses in town were closed Sunday.

Bob Albadawi, an employee at Gorman Market & Liquor, said the water alert has affected business. He is unable, for instance, to serve fountain drinks and cappuccinos.

Times staff writer Ashraf Khalil contributed to this report.