EARTHQUAKE: THE LONG ROAD BACK : Water an On-and-Off Problem for Many Simi Valley Customers : Conservation: Officials emphasize the need to reduce use as aftershocks rupture pipes and interrupt service for a second time.

Simi Valley water officials were struggling Thursday to restore water to as many as 5,000 customers who lost service for the second time as aftershocks ruptured mains and burst pipes.

“It’s an ever-changing situation,” Deputy City Manager Laura Herron said. “It gets better and then something happens and it takes a turn for the worse.”

Herron emphasized the importance of continuing conservation to stretch the city’s water supply to as many homes as possible.

“We’re asking people to cut back wherever they can,” Herron said. “They should hold off on watering their lawns and washing their cars and take quick showers.”

Barring any additional disruptions, Herron said, officials hope to have water flowing to all homes and businesses in the city by this morning.

The city’s water district serves about two-thirds of Simi Valley’s 120,000 residents. The rest are supplied by Southern California Water Co., which has restored water to all of its customers, district Supt. Skip Faria said.

But Faria said individual homes or apartment complexes may be without water because of water line breaks on the premises. If that is the case, it is up to the owner to have the line repaired.

“Some people don’t realize that if there’s a break on the property they need to fix it themselves,” Faria said. “Wherever we found breaks (on private property) we’ve contacted the owners and most of them have fixed the lines.”

Simi Valley residents met the water fluctuations with patience and humor. “It’s like Russian roulette,” said Jim Thomas, an engineer who said the water in his east-end home has been off and on several times since the quake.

“You turn it on and it works, then you turn it on again and it doesn’t,” Thomas said. “So you gotta grab a shower while you can.”

City workers are continuing to give out five gallons of free drinking water per household per day at Santa Susana Park, Ralphs supermarket in Wood Ranch, the city’s Metrolink station, Royal High School and all elementary schools.

Chuck and Erma Burt stopped by the Metrolink station early Thursday to pick up jugs of bottled water.

Chuck Burt said the couple did not think it was safe to drink tap water, which had returned to their home on the city’s east end Wednesday.

“The first thing we did was take a shower,” Burt said. But his wife disagreed: “No, the first thing we did was flush the toilet.”

A health advisory will remain in effect today, warning Simi Valley residents to boil water before drinking it.

Residents unable to cook because of gas shut-offs should add a few drops of unscented household bleach to their water, officials said. Add eight drops per gallon if the water is clear from the tap. If the water runs cloudy, use 16 drops. Allow the water to stand for 30 minutes before drinking.

Meanwhile, the Calleguas Municipal Water District, which supplies water to the city’s water district and to Southern California Water, unearthed one of its two main water lines on Thursday morning for repairs.

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The 78-inch line, which runs under Smith Road in eastern Simi Valley, was severely ruptured during the quake.

Eric Bergh, advanced planning administrator for the district, said he hoped to have the line repaired by today.

But Bergh said repair crews were having a hard time patching the pipe because the ground around it was saturated with water.

“We’re talking a pit 20 feet into the ground,” Bergh said. “They’re having a lot of difficulty getting at it.”

The pipe is one of two that Calleguas uses to bring in water from a Los Angeles County filtration plant.

Until the line is repaired, the district will continue to draw from the Bard Reservoir in Simi Valley.

“We still have a two-week supply in the reservoir,” Bergh said. “But other problems could come up in the lines, so it’s very important for people to continue to conserve.”