The City of Bakersfield and California Water Service Co. on Sunday rescinded a “do not drink, do not use” advisory issued Tuesday to 42 commercial customers south of Lake Truxtun after an oil company reportedly allowed pressurized natural gas and crude oil into the waters. municipal water system.
A post shared shortly before 4:30 p.m. said that after multiple rounds of intensive, one-way flushing, “test results have confirmed that it is safe to resume normal water use from the water distribution system.”
“On behalf of the City of Bakersfield and the… (Cal Water) team, we apologize for any inconvenience this improper customer connection and backflow event has caused and thank you for your patience as we worked to return the system to normal operation and confirm that water was safe to use and drink again. Protecting your health and safety is our top priority.”
The end of the advisory heralds a return to normality for businesses that suffered significant, if not total, disruptions. Those who were able to resume business had to rent portable toilets in some cases and rely on bottled water even to wash hands.
No homes were affected, but many health care businesses were, including surgery centers and an 86-bed rehabilitation hospital in the area, including Office Park Drive, Commercial Way, Commerce Drive and Truxtun Avenue between Mohawk Street and Westside Parkway.
State oil regulators said Friday that the contamination appears to have been caused by a valve or valves left partially open during a pipeline pressure test at an oil facility along Office Park Drive operated by Griffin Resources LLC, an oil producer with offices in Bakersfield and Ventura.
State documents show that Griffin did the work in response to an order from the California Geologic Energy Management Division, whose inspectors reported finding numerous leaks in one area from a series of wells and a power line that had been taken out of service years ago. At the Griffin’s Office Park Drive location, where the water contamination apparently originated, CalGEM found, among other things, electrical lines running through spilled oil and partially covered in dirt.
Anyone with questions about the advisory withdrawal was advised to contact Cal Water’s Emergency Operations Center at 661-837-7243.
