Repairs May Affect Water Taste
Some residents of western Ventura County may notice that their tap water smells or tastes a little funny once repair work begins this weekend on a major pipeline extending from Los Angeles County.
During the repair work, several west county cities, including Oxnard and Camarillo, will rely more heavily on backup groundwater supplies, officials said. Though safe to drink, this water tends to contain more salts and other minerals, which accounts for an odd aftertaste, as well as hydrogen sulfide, which can smell like rotten eggs.
The pipeline service will be shut off Sunday for up to 10 days while crews from the Metropolitan Water District reinforce several sections of the line in the San Fernando Valley.
The MWD gets much of its water from Northern California and the Colorado River basin. The Calleguas Municipal Water District imports water from the MWD and sells it wholesale to 22 companies in Ventura County. Those companies serve more than 185,000 households from Oxnard to Simi Valley.
The Calleguas district is urging its customers to conserve water through March 8 by using less on lawns, rescheduling irrigation until after 10 p.m., delaying car washes and taking shorter showers.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
