The boil water notice has been canceled for all areas in Healdsburg that were affected by a water main break that occurred on Aug. 25 at the Mill District affordable housing construction site.
The City of Healdsburg Water System in conjunction with the State Water Resource Control Board Division of Drinking Water determined Friday morning through a series of water tests that the city’s drinking water is safe to drink.
Per a Nixle notice that went out to residents at 9:59 a.m. on Aug. 27, it is no longer necessary to boil tap water or to use bottled water.
The boil water notice was issued to a large portion of Healdsburg residents and businesses east of Healdsburg Avenue on Aug. 25 at 3:44 p.m. as a precautionary measure following a water main break that occurred earlier that morning.
Due to a loss of pressure in the main, which was fixed in the early morning hours of Aug. 25, the water could have been contaminated which is why the city issued a boil notice.
Two tests that were completed by the state water board drinking water division found that the water was clean and had not been contaminated.
The city is required by the state to complete two separate rounds of testing of the city drinking water. Each sample is required to sit for 24-hours before confirmation can be made that no-contamination has occurred.
The first round of test results were released yesterday afternoon and the water came back clean with no signs of contamination.
While the notice was in effect, folks in the affected area were advised to boil tap water for one minute or to use bottled water.
Notices were distributed on the city’s social media channels, sent to residents via Nixle and hand delivered to addresses in the impacted area. Healdsburg City Manager Jeff Kay said the city had also notified the Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce and had been in touch with some businesses.
In an interview with SoCoNews yesterday, Kay said with some changes in operation and despite some disruption, businesses should be able to operate. However, there was some confusion around whether or not businesses in the boil water area could prepare and serve food.
While many eateries on Center Street were still operational, Oakville Grocery on the corner of Center Street and Matheson had been told by health department officials that food prep should not occur during the boil water notice.
The popular lunch and coffee spot had a sign in their window that stated, “Per the guidelines of Sonoma County Health we are not able to brew coffee or use the espresso machine. In addition our food preparation process is impacted and we are unable to prepare food made to order at this time, including sandwiches, salads, pizzas, ect.”
Daniel Virkstis, a spokesperson with the County of Sonoma, said Sonoma County Environmental Health had been reaching out to all food facilities in the affected area.
“A food facility is regulated through Health and Safety Code (CalCode), where one of the requirements is for the food facility to have potable water. Since the food facilities are (were) under a boil water notice their water system does not meet the standards of potable water, so environmental health is reaching out to them to develop interim plans that will allow for the facility to operate safely and avoid closure,” Virkstis said in email on Aug. 26.
Since the notice that was provided by the city of Healdsburg primarily focused on residences and did not provide guidance for food facilities, county environmental health distributed a notice to food facilities to assist them in developing a safe plan to continue to operate during the notice.
The county health notice stated, “All food facilities under a ‘boil water notice’ must adhere to the following procedures:
1) No food preparation is allowed unless all waste plumbing/drain lines within the facility are working properly.
2) All water served to the public or used in the preparation or cleaning of any food, drink, or utensil, must either be bottled water or must be boiled vigorously at least one minute.
3) Use boiled or bottled water for handwashing, food preparation, vegetable washing, utensil washing, and drink preparation.
4) Multi-use utensils must be washed and sanitized using boiled or bottled water. Utensils must be sanitized using 1 tablespoon bleach per 1 gallon of water and allowed to soak for at least 30 seconds and then air dryed. Dishwashing machines are not to be used. Single service utensils are acceptable.
5) Work surfaces, when cleaned, shall be rinsed with a solution of 1 tablespoon bleach per 1 gallon of water, using boiled or bottled water.
6) Disconnect the ice machine(s) and dispose of all ice. Bagged ice from an approved source is acceptable.
7) Disconnect soda machines, espresso machines, and any other equipment connected to the water supply. They are not to be used.
8) All machines and equipment utilizing the water system must be properly sanitized prior to reuse after the ‘Boil Water Notice’ has been lifted.”
Now that the boil notice is lifted, businesses do not have to follow the above guidelines.
Josie Gay Carroll, the marking director for the Mill District, issued a statement yesterday regarding the main break.
“Currently, Eden Housing, the developer of The Exchange, is in close communication with the City of Healsburg to determine the cause of the situation,” Gay Carroll said in a statement.
Healdsburg Utility Director Terry Crowley echoed Gay Carroll’s statement and said the city plans on working with the developer to investigate the cause of the break.
“What we expect and what typically happens, is we have nothing and no contaminations. We issued a boil water notice out of an abundance of caution,” Crowley told SoCoNews on Aug. 26.
