Julian

The San Diego County Department of Health Services told the Julian Community Services District on Wednesday that it is again “safe to drink the tap water” in Julian.

Gary Stephany, deputy director for the county’s Environmental Health Services, said the announcement follows the installation of a treatment unit and testing by the county that failed to detect benzene, a component of gasoline. Benzene was found in the town’s water supply after routine testing by the department Aug. 24.

“The tap water is safe to drink,” Stephany said. “The quality of the water will continue to be monitored closely to ensure its safety.”

The health department notified the community services district Aug. 31 that one of seven wells in Julian was found to be contaminated with benzene. Customers had been notified before about benzene in their water by the Julian district and told that the contaminated well had been removed from service. They were advised to use bottled water until further notice.

Stephany said an investigation is continuing. Dan Avera, a spokesman for the county health agency, said the probable cause is leakage from an underground gasoline storage tank.