No Peril Found as Lubricant Taints Moorpark Water

A petroleum-based lubricant that leaked into the water system in Moorpark on Friday caused no danger but prompted a rash of complaints about the water tasting and smelling of gasoline, officials said.

The complaints began early Friday, a day after the Ventura County Water Works District No. 1 used the compound to thread pipes that were connected to a new pump being put into operation, water district Supervisor LeRoy Goodmam said.

The district flushed the lines after the work but a small amount of lubricant apparently leaked into the system, Goodman said.

Environmental tests determined that there was no danger to residents in the estimated 1,000 homes in the Moorpark College area, but some used bottled water provided by the district, Goodman said.

The city received more than 20 calls about water smelling and tasting of gasoline, city spokeswoman Faye Beaver said. The district received more than 30 calls, Goodman said.