City in California Warns Residents 'Do Not Drink' the Water

The city of Santa Paula, California, warned certain residents on Monday "DO NOT DRINK YOUR WATER" as an unknown substance could be in it due to a break-in at a reservoir tank.

According to the "unsafe water alert" issued by the city, the tank is "offline" and in the process of being drained and disinfected before being placed back in use. Residents are advised to not drink, cook or allow pets to drink the tap water as well.

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The City of Santa Paula also is advising residents to use bottled water for brushing your teeth, baby formula, washing dishes, and making ice. Adding chemicals to treat the water or attempting to boil the water will not make it safe, the city also warns. The city of Santa Paula is approximately 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

Newsweek has reached out to the City Manager's Office via phone for comment on Tuesday afternoon.

Santa Paula residents may pick up "potable water" at the Water Treatment Plant located at 532 Main St., Santa Paula, CA 93060 from 6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. until further notice, the city says. Residents do need to bring their own containers to collect the water.

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The city says they expect the problem to be fixed within 24 to 72 hours and will alert residents when the water tests show a safe result. The areas impacted by the water alert are outlined in maps in the alert.

In an update posted on the city's website on Tuesday, the city said the draining process of the impacted reservoir tank has paused due to debris blocking the drain channels. As a result of the debris, "unexpected flooding" took place in the area of Ojai Road by Mill Park, the update says.

Meanwhile, other water alerts across the country were in place at the end of last week. On June 20, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) issued a precautionary water advisory due to recent wildfires plaguing the state. The alert impacted nearly 25,000 residents in Lincoln County.

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The NMED asked residents to look for alternate drinking water sources but assured people that the water could be used for other non-drinking purposes.

Portions of Durham, North Carlina were also advised to boil their water as a precaution last week. After water samples were taken on Friday, the city shared that the water no longer needed to be boiled for "human consumption" in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday.

Update 06/25/24, 10:15 p.m. ET: The headline was updated to reflect a city in California, not California City.