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Mountain View has declared a state of emergency after a water main was contaminated near Cuesta Park, leaving dozens of homes without safe drinking water for multiple days.
The declaration, which the City Council is expected to formally ratify at an April 28 meeting, will allow the city to pursue reimbursement from the state and federal government for expenses incurred while responding to this incident.
The city initially made the emergency declaration on Saturday, according to a Monday night press release. That was one day after C2R Engineering, a city contractor, breached a water main at the corner of Bonita Avenue and Cuesta Drive, causing a cement slurry mix to come into contact with the water supply.
Mountain View shut off water access to about 65 households Friday afternoon. Later that evening, the city issued a “do not use water” notice to affected residents. By Saturday night, most homes had their water turned back on but were told it can only be used for flushing toilets.
Though the city had anticipated being able to restore safe drinking water over the weekend, the timeline has been delayed because two of five water samples tested positive for bacteria, the city said.
The water tests identified the presence of coliform, which is typically a harmless bacteria, according to a fact sheet from the California State Water Resources Control Board. However, its presence often indicates that other harmful organisms exist in a water source, so ingestion of water containing coliform increases a person’s risk of contracting a water-borne illness.
The streets affected by the current restrictions include portions of Cuesta Drive, Leona Lane, Montalto Drive, Drucilla Drive and Carla Court.
An official statement from the city on Sunday said that residents “should be prepared for being without tap water for drinking, cooking, hand washing, bathing, and other domestic uses through mid-to-end of the week.”
Mountain View water utility crews are still working with regulators from the State Water Resources Control Board to conduct testing on the drinking water and “ensure safe water service is restored as quickly as possible,” the city said.
When the city restored water for toilet use, officials informed residents to flush their plumbing systems to get rid of potentially contaminated water.
Affected residents have since expressed concerns about increased water bills, and the city is currently looking into ways it might be able to help, according to a Tuesday news release.
Resources for residents without water
The city has partnered with the following local hotels to provide temporary lodging for impacted residents:
- Super 8 Mountain View, 1665 W El Camino Real, Mountain View
- Ramada by Wyndham Mountain View, 55 Fairchild Drive, Mountain View
- Days Inn Mountain View, 850 Leong Drive, Mountain View
- Shashi Hotel Mountain View, 1625 N Shoreline Blvd, Mountain View
- TownePlace Suites, 606 S. Bernardo Ave., Sunnyvale
When checking in to any of the hotels, residents must have a valid government-issued photo ID that includes an address matching an impacted household and should notify hotel staff that they are a part of Mountain View’s “temporary lodging program,” the city news release said.
If an impacted resident wishes to stay at a different hotel, the city can reimburse them up to $192 per night, plus tax.
They should just bill people whatever they paid the prior month and credit any overage in that billing period. Easy.
Seems to me the contractor should be paying all the expenses (or their insurance company), not the taxpayers.
Totally agree. I just logged in to make this point and saw your post. I haven’t seen this logical move mentioned anywhere else.
Agree with the above. I hope the contractor is legally liable for the screwup.