Mountain View neighborhood remains without potable water

On Monday, a neighborhood in Mountain View was still without drinking water because of contamination from a breach in a water main.  It's been more than 10 days, and the area is still under a "boil water" order from the state, with crews scrambling to restore potable water to the homes.

The neighborhood across from Cuesta Park has been undergoing a replacement of all the water main pipes, and the problem began on Friday, April 24th.  A contract worker reportedly recharged a water main without properly closing a valve, sending some cement slurry into the line.  

"Which apparently is something that hasn't happened before in the State of California, to the best of our knowledge," said Lenka Wright, Mountain View's Chief Communications Officer.

She said the city responded quickly, shutting the supply down to all the homes, leaving them without any water for two days. Then, on April 26, they restored the water, but for toilet flushing only. And now, the 67 homes in the affected area can use the water for anything that doesn't involve ingesting it, such as drinking, cooking or brushing teeth.  For that, they have to boil the water first.

"And where we are now is that we still have tests that are coming back positive for coliform bacteria," said Wright.  "And it's one section of the piping that is concentrated in an area where, as you'll see on the map, it's Drucilla Drive and Carla Court."

That's where Tom Piercy lives. Like everyone else, he had no idea what they were in for when it all began.

"You know, they came door to door, and they said we're going to turn the water off for a half-hour, maybe an hour. They were just going to flush the system," he said. "But after two hours we were going, 'Uh, it's a little bit longer than we thought.' And then pretty soon we got the notice that we're going to shut it off for a while, for a long time."

The coliform they are finding is a bacteria that is often present in sewage spills. The State said there is no evidence of e-coli, which is usually an indicator of fecal matter, but it's still creeping people out.  So, most are using the free drinking water the city is providing on a daily basis.  

"I mean, cement doesn't give you bacteria," said Piercy.  "So, I don't know.  Whatever it was, like, how does a guy screw up that bad?"

On Monday, the neighborhood was full of activity, with workers cutting into the pavement and testing water coming from the hydrants. The plan is to isolate the supply line where they found the coliform and fill it with liquid chlorine to kill any living organisms.  In the meantime, the city is paying for hotel rooms and meals for the neighbors who want them. But a homeowner named Lena said hotels lose their appeal quickly when you have children.

"I mean, we can't live without water," she said. "It's hard. It's been a very, very exhausting process, basically. Because, I mean, if you don't have kids, you don't have pets, it's fine. But if you have kids, it's a different process that you have to go through."

Wright said the city is already pursuing a claim against the contractor who caused the initial contamination to recoup the costs involved with safeguarding the neighborhood.  Once the "super-chlorination" is finished and the line is refilled, it must be retested, twice, and the results reviewed by the state's Water Resources Control Board, who are the only ones with the authority to remove the "boil water" order. That process could take until Saturday or Sunday, even if all goes well. But even when they get the "all clear" Piercy said he plans to stick to bottled water for a while.

"I don't know, I guess we'll celebrate a little bit," he said.