Tuesday, 2:00pm Update: Microbac confirmed all water quality samples taken were clear (negative) of any bacteriological contaminants. The City's State Water regulator has authorized the water department to restore service. The Boil Water Notice has been lifted, and Public Works is currently in the field pressurizing and flushing the affected lines!
Monday, 5:00pm Update: We anticipate receiving water sample results back from Microbac Labs sometime before noon (hopefully earlier) Tuesday morning. If the results are good and the regulator authorizes the City to restore water service, we will do so immediately. In preparation of water service restoration, we want all affected customers to ensure that all water valves in the home are closed. Prolonged outages can cause sinks or garden hose taps to be left open by accident. Restoring water service can also cause air in lines that must be bled, and also discoloration in the initial water flowing through the system. This discoloration is due to minerals or sediments that have collected in the distribution pipes over time, and disrupted when water service is reactivated. We recommend bleeding this air and any discolored water out through a garden hose located closest to where your service line connects a the house. City water staff will be monitoring meters during the process, and also go door to door to assist anyone that may need assistance bleeding air from their lines.
Customers near leak site such as Te-Pah and on Westhaven Drive that did not lose water may experience air and or discoloration in their lines as well.
All customers without water are encouraged to sign up through this website to receive future water notifications, and also reach out to Town Hall and make sure your contact information is updated in our billing system. Thanks again for your continued patience.
Monday, 9:00am Update: Spoke with State Water regulator this morning at 8:00am who confirmed the City has done everything by the book to protect the health and safety of the customers affected, and is managing the outage in a manner that is minimizing the impact to the entire system. Water samples were delivered to the lab at 9:00am. Chlorine residuals of all samples taken were normal or above average. We are now waiting for the results of the bacteria tests which typically take up to 24 hours. Upon receipt of negative test results and confirmation from regulators, the City will begin restoring service immediately. Please keep in mind that the water quality testing is being taken in an abundance of caution due to the line break scenario - not because there is evidence of contamination. This is the standard protocol for this type of incident. More information will be provided in an update later today.
Sunday, 5:00pm Update: Water Department staff strategized every possible scenario to restore water to the 30 customers affected by Saturday's outage, but unfortunately this segment of line cannot be pressurized without the possibility of introducing untested water to the rest of the system. The labs were not open today, and our regulators did not respond to our outreach. As a result, our current estimate is for customers to prepare for up to an additional 48-hours for the test results and for State Regulators to lift the notice and authorize the city to restore service. More information will be shared as soon as we receive it on Monday. We sincerely apologize for this delay, and appreciate your patience. Please contact the City directly if there's anything we can do to help while we wait this out... cityclerk [at] trinidad.ca.gov (cityclerk[at]trinidad[dot]ca[dot]gov), or 707-677-0223.
Saturday, 9:00pm Update: Due to the duration and scope of the break, along with the hydrodynamics of the North Westhaven Drive segment of the distribution system, the City had to issue a precautionary Boil Water Notice (BWN) directly to 30 customers on that line this morning just prior to isolating it for construction late this afternoon. The water line was successfully repaired shortly after 8:00pm. In order to reactivate the water line and lift the Boil Water Notice, the Water Department must test and receive negative bacteriological contaminant results over a 24-hour period. The results must be confirmed by the State Drinking Water regulator who will then lift the BWN. The timing of this incident with Easter weekend has impaired the City's ability to expedite the test, but we are doing everything we can to restore service as quickly as possible to the customers affected.
Saturday, 4:00pm Update: At approximately 9:45am the section of distribution line affected by the down tree along Westhaven Drive was isolated. Water storage tank level was not compromised during the incident, however, due to a large segment of distribution lines being shut down, a Boil Water Notice was issued as a precaution to approximately 32 customers on the impacted area at approximately 12:00pm Saturday afternoon. Tree debris has been removed and overhead utilities are in the process of being restored. The City water line repair will begin as soon as the overhead utilities are complete. The Water Department will work as quickly as possible to restore water service. An additional 24 hours may be required to repair and ensure the quality of water introduced into the isolated segment of line meets or exceeds state of California drinking water standards. The City appreciates your patience as we do everything possible to restore water service to all affected customers.
Saturday, 9:00am Update: Water service to customers on Westhaven Drive, lower Quarry, and Langford Road on the affected distribution line was interrupted just after 6pm last night when a large redwood tree fell across the road near 207 North Westhaven Drive. The tree took out PG&E, AT&T, and Optimum overhead utilities. Trinidad Public Works responded within 30 minutes of receiving notification of the water leak, worked throughout the night to prevent loss of storage capacity, and is still working to isolate the affected section of the distribution system. The leak is located under the large redwood tree that must be removed before any utility restoration work can begin. Once the site is cleaned up, overhead utilities will be restored. Water line repair will follow shortly after. Monitor your PG&E and Optimum alert notifications for a more exact restoration timeframe, or check back to this site for updates later this afternoon.