FAUCETS YIELD A SMELLY SURPRISE; TAINTED WATER HITS CALABASAS.Byline: Michael Coit, Lisa Van Proyen and Eric Leach Daily News Staff Writers Drinking water drinking water supply of water available to animals for drinking supplied via nipples, in troughs, dams, ponds and larger natural water sources; an insufficient supply leads to dehydration; it can be the source of infection, e.g. leptospirosis, salmonellosis, or of poisoning, e.g. for as many as 1,600 homes has been contaminated contaminated, v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. with treated wastewater in the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, authorities said Thursday. The water - meant for irrigation irrigation, in agriculture, artificial watering of the land. Although used chiefly in regions with annual rainfall of less than 20 in. (51 cm), it is also used in wetter areas to grow certain crops, e.g., rice. at parks and schools - came from a bootleg pipe installed by a former homeowner in the area, then mistakenly flowed into the drinking water system when a private workman opened a valve. The district became alerted to the problem Wednesday night when one resident reported smelly, off-color tap water. Another resident reported similar concerns Thursday morning. After determining that wastewater in fact was in the drinking water system, the district hand-delivered one-page notices Thursday to customers in an area centered on Mulholland Highway  This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers.Please [improve the article] or discuss this issue on the talk page. and Old Topanga Canyon Road, warning them not to use tap water for drinking until further notice. Areas believed most affected were the Birds and Mulwood neighborhoods. ``We don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. the extent of how much (reclaimed) water got into the system. We believe it's a very minimal amount because of the size of the connection,'' said Arlene Post, the agency's spokeswoman. ``As soon as we knew about it, the state Department of Health requires that people go to bottled water.'' The water district brought bottled water to area schools Thursday, Post said. The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District serves such communities as Westlake Village, Agoura Hills, Malibu and Calabasas, but officials said only those Calabasas residents who received notices were affected. And some people who received notices might not have had contaminated water, Post said. The district was especially cautious in determining the affected area, she said. However, the district further warned that filtered vending machine vending machine, coin-operated, automatic device for selling goods. Many vending machines are capable of making change, and some of the more sophisticated ones accept paper money or credit cards. water in the same neighborhood is from the same lines and should not be used. Water district officials said although the treated wastewater meets standards for full body contact, regular consumption could result in illness if the water contains coliform bacteria coliform bacteria Rod-shaped bacteria usually found in the intestinal tracts of animals, including humans. Coliform bacteria do not require but can use oxygen, and they do not form spores. They produce acid and gas from the fermentation of lactose sugar. , caused by fecal contamination. Tests are being conducted to see if that bacterium is present in the water. Post said drinking such contaminated water could cause gastrointestinal problems that might include such symptoms as stomach cramps. ``It's not poisonous, but you probably would get sick - `Montezuma's revenge Noun 1. Montezuma's revenge - diarrhea contracted in Mexico or Central America diarrhea, diarrhoea, looseness, looseness of the bowels - frequent and watery bowel movements; can be a symptom of infection or food poisoning or colitis or a gastrointestinal tumor ,' '' said Hal Helsley, president of the board of directors for the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District. ``It would take awhile to get over.'' Post said officials elected not to shut down the system because the recycled water has been significantly diluted by drinking water supplies and residual disinfectant in the pipes. Crews were flushing the system throughout the night, and officials warned residents not to flush their own systems unless advised to do so. The ban on drinking the water is expected to be lifted either later today or Saturday, officials said. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , officials said an accidental gulp of water should not cause a health problem because the risk of coliform coliform /col·i·form/ (kol´i-form) pertaining to fermentative gram-negative enteric bacilli, sometimes restricted to those fermenting lactose, e.g., Escherichia, Klebsiella, or Enterobacter. contamination is believed to be slight. The drinking water became contaminated when a workman employed by a homeowner mistakenly opened a valve that connected an illegal wastewater line to the home's drinking water, said John Mundy John Mundy could refer to:
``The connection certainly has been bootlegged,'' Mundy said. ``There are people out there who want free water.'' The district did not release the name of the current homeowner or the former homeowner who created the illegal connection. However, it did say the home is on Bluebird bluebird, common name for a North American migratory bird of the family Turdidae (thrush family). The eastern bluebird, Sialia sialis, is among the first spring arrivals in the North. It is about 7 in. (17.8 cm) long. Drive in Calabasas. The reclaimed water - under higher pressure than the drinking water - then went past the home's water meter and into the district's drinking water system. One resident, who declined to identify himself, complained that the four-paragraph notices distributed to residents did not adequately explain the potential problems related to reclaimed water mixing with drinking water. ``Here I am home (from work) with a serious cold,'' he said. ``What effects is it having on me?'' The resident said he had been home and used the tap water until he went outside and took the notice from his front gate about 3 p.m. ``They don't even tell us how long it's been going on. There's no explanation,'' he said. ``Just to put a short notice on someone's door is not adequate.'' Kris Tominaga, 15, said the water problem was announced during class Thursday at Calabasas High School Calabasas High School is a four-year high school, freshman-senior, in Calabasas, California, United States. Calabasas High School, which serves portions of Calabasas and the West Hills, Los Angeles, California section of Los Angeles, is one of three high schools in the Las . ``They said that we're not supposed to drink the water or take showers in it,'' he said. ``The drinking fountains were taped over'' at the school, he added. SAFETY TIPS The following are tips for residents whose tap water may have been mixed with recycled water: For drinking or cooking purposes, use only bottled water until notified otherwise by water officials. Do not drink vending machine water in your neighborhood. This water comes from the same lines as those to your home. For other household applications, such as bathing and washing clothing, recycled water can be used. Do not flush your own water system at home unless advised to do so by water officials. For more information, call the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District at (818) 880-4110. CAPTION(S): Photo, box PHOTO Kris Tominaga, 15, eyes a glass of water at his Calabasas home. Tom Mendoza/Daily News BOX: Safety tips (See text) |
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