Julian’s Water Contaminated; Warning Issued

With autumn and Apple Days just a few weeks away, the mountain community of Julian was hit with the second water warning of the year this week.

The county Department of Health Services served notice to Julian residents and visitors not to drink the water after benzene was found during routine testing of the water in one of the community’s seven wells.

Dan Avera, spokesman for the county health agency, said the contamination was discovered Aug. 24, and customers of the Julian Community Services District were advised by mail last Friday and Saturday to use bottled water until further notice.

Avera said that the benzene-contaminated water does not pose “an acute or immediate health hazard.” However, he said, benzene is listed by the state as a carcinogen if exposure is long-term.

An investigation is under way into the source of the well contamination, Avera said, adding that the probable cause is leakage from an underground gasoline storage tank.

Contamination Has Dropped

Since the well was shut last Thursday, the contamination in the water system has dropped, Avera said.

Testing will continue, and the well will remain closed until the water is fit for human consumption.

Several Julian businesses contacted Thursday were unaware of the new bottled-water advisory.

Pamela Hill, a clerk at the Julian Market, said there was no run on bottled water at the store.

‘Tap Water Tastes OK to Me’

A clerk at the Julian Hotel said he thought the hotel served bottled water routinely to dining room guests, but he added that “the tap water tastes OK to me.”

Earlier this year, Julian-area residents were urged to cut down on water usage or face mandatory water rationing after community wells, affected by a three-year drought, were strained to keep up with demand. The voluntary water conservation advisory is still in effect.