Malibu Warning to Boil Drinking Water Lifted
Los Angeles County water officials on Wednesday called off their warning for Malibu residents to boil their water before drinking it.
The advisory went into effect for the 5,000 water customers on Saturday, after the capacity in local water storage tanks--which hold 12 million gallons--became extremely low following a water main break.
Officials called for boiling because the water remaining in the tanks was discolored by sediment, said Melinda Barrett, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. Despite the problem, she added, 60 tests conducted following the Aug. 19 main break showed no effect on water quality.
As of Wednesday evening, the storage tanks serving Malibu were 60% filled, she said.
The county distributed 4,400 five-gallon bottles of water to residents who experienced interruptions in their water service. Barrett said the county is asking residents to return empty bottles to a bin outside the Malibu Civic Center.
Otherwise, she added, the county will have to pay $6 for each unreturned bottle.
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