Long Beach issues a widespread boil water notice after a water main break

About 125,000 customers in Long Beach were issued a warning Thursday after a water main break the day before prompted the city’s utilities department to issue the requirement.

Customers in zip codes 90805, 90807 and parts of zip code 90806 are under the boil water notification area until further notice.

The water main break happened around 11:20 a.m. Wednesday in the California Heights neighborhood, near the intersection of Orange Avenue and East Wardlow Road. Water flowed through area streets until it was covered about an hour later.

The Long Beach Utilities Department notified customers of the pause Wednesday and conducted a system flush, removing naturally occurring sediment that settled after the loss of water pressure. According to the department, this sediment is not harmful.

“Tonight, the State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water (DDW) and the Long Beach Utilities Department issued a boil water warning. The Long Beach Utilities Department made this decision out of an abundance of caution after experiencing low water pressure during a significant water main break at 3502 Orange Avenue earlier today,” the department said in a statement.

Residents and businesses in the affected areas are asked to use only boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking and cooking, as a safety measure to prevent illness.

Cooking water requirements:

• Boil all the water for one (1) minute (rolling boil).
• Let the water cool before drinking it.
• Until further notice, use boiled or bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth and preparing food.
• Boiling water kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.

If you cannot boil the water, you can use unscented liquid household bleach.

• For clear water, use 8 drops (1/8 teaspoon) of bleach for 1 gallon of water. For cloudy water, filter it through a clean cloth and use 16 drops (1/4 teaspoon) of bleach for 1 gallon of water.
• Mix well. Let it sit for 30 minutes before using it.
• Water may taste or smell like chlorine. This means that disinfection has taken place.