Authority Testing Water Supply
July 16, 2002
The San Diego County Water Authority today notified its member agencies that routine testing conducted on its water supply has…
The San Diego County Water Authority today notified its member agencies that routine testing conducted on its water supply has detected the possible presence of bacteria, (not E. coli bacteria).
“It’s important to note that the Authority’s member agencies that have tested their supplies, as well as the Authority’s supplier of imported water, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, have shown no presence of bacteria,” said Chris Guild, Deputy General Manager of the Authority.
The Authority learned of the results today following tests conducted on samples collected Monday. The agency is awaiting the results of follow-up testing, which are expected Wednesday. Repeat sampling is required to confirm results because positive results could be due to human error during the testing process.
“Waiting for 24 hours to confirm the results of the first test is the typical procedure before any further steps are taken, but we wanted to take the extra precautionary measure of providing notification to our member agencies while we are waiting for the results,” said Guild.
After consultation with the California Department of Health Services, the Authority’s member agencies, and other water quality experts, the Authority believes there should be no health concerns at this time, because those agencies supplied by the Authority which have conducted tests at the same time have not detected bacteria, nor have there been any illnesses reported.
The San Diego County Water Authority is a public agency serving the San Diego region as a wholesale supplier of water from Northern California and the Colorado River. The Water Authority works through its 23 member agencies to provide a safe, reliable water supply to almost 3 million county residents.
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