Long Beach asks residents to boil water before drinking due to main link break
The city of Long Beach issued a public notice late Wednesday night, advising residents living in neighborhoods located in the western and northern areas to boil their water before drinking it due to possible contamination from a water main break.
The State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water and the Long Beach Utilities Department issued the boil water notice late Wednesday night, out of an abundance of caution, after recording low water pressures during a water main break at 67th Street and Orange Avenue in North Long Beach.
The boil water notice was sent to residents in three ZIP Codes — 90805, 90806, 90807 — that include neighborhoods such as North Long Beach, Bixby Knolls, Cal Heights, South Wrighley and Wrighley Heights, among others.
For residential accounts more than $800 behind, gas shutoffs started Sunday, according to a city memo. Before the pandemic, the shutoff threshold for any delinquent account was $50.
“Residents and businesses located in these areas are advised to use only boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking and cooking purposes as a safety precaution to avoid stomach or intestinal illness,” the public notice read.
Until further notice, city and water officials recommend residents boil water for at least one minute before using or rely on bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth and food preparation.
Long Beach Utilities said water quality in the affected areas was being monitored and a notification would be sent out to residents in the affected areas when the water is safe to drink again.
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