LOS ANGELES (May 27, 2016)–The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) continues to flush pipes in the Watts and Green Meadows neighborhoods to remove sediment from the area’s City-owned pipe system. Department water quality staff also continues to collect daily water samples tested for bacteria, color, turbidity and metals. These efforts are in response to an increased number of reports of discolored and cloudy water in the area. This type of water is unacceptable, and LADWP is taking this matter seriously. We are fully committed to continuing these efforts until we resolve this issue.
LADWP staff members are in the impacted area nearly every day flushing pipes. Before flushing, our crews post signage and door hangers to notify the community of the operation. During operations, no water services will be interrupted, but customers may experience less water pressure. The flow of water to homes and businesses will be redirected so that pipes can be isolated for flushing. At the time, customers’ water may be murky or appear dirty for a few hours. This is a temporary condition and not a health risk.
IMPORTANT! When the flushing work is completed in an area, customers should run their cold water taps until the water runs clear. This is a necessary step to clear out the remaining cloudy and discolored water that can be drawn in to the home during the pipe flushing process. The flushing program should improve the quality and reliability of water we provide to customers’ homes and businesses. However, it will not correct private plumbing or corrosion problems.
Here are the latest details of LADWP’s efforts to improve water quality in this area of the city:
- As of May 26th, 204,000 feet or nearly 39 miles of pipe in the area have been flushed by LADWP crews. Work is expected to continue through next week.
- LADWP has posted all water test results as they become available and a map of flushing operations onwww.ladwp.com/waterquality.
- In addition to distributing door hangers in areas where crews are flushing pipes, LADWP also sent an email to customers in the area explaining the flushing process. Staff has also been walking neighborhoods to alert larger customers like churches and businesses who may not see a door hanger.
- LADWP staff members are in contact with LAUSD schools in the area to alert them about flushing operations and steps they should take following flushing operations to clear pipes on school property.
- On May 16, LADWP shut down the 99th Street Well Treatment Facility to conduct a full cleaning and flushing of the onsite treatment system, which treats water from wells in the surrounding area for distribution to LADWP customers. For now, water from the adjacent south Los Angeles area is serving your community, which is a combination of surface and well water that has been filtered and disinfected with chloramine.
- LADWP increased the frequency of water testing in the Watts/Green Meadows area from weekly to daily on May 11 as reported last week. Water quality staff members have collected daily samples and tested for bacteria, color, turbidity and metals. To date, all water tested has met state and federal drinking water standards. However, discolored water remains to be a concern to LADWP and we urge customers to flush out their pipes before using the water.
- LADWP has tested the water at seven area schools. All tests indicate that the water meets health and safety standards. To further prevent cloudy water at area schools, LADWP will only flush pipes near schools on weekends where possible.
LADWP takes the quality of the water we supply very seriously, and the safety and reliability of water remains our highest priority. The water quality in this area and in every area of the City is consistently monitored and treated to deliver the highest quality tap water possible. When discoloration occurs, it is often an indication of aged residential or private property plumbing. It can also be caused by excessively high water flows, such as occurs during a major fire or as a result of a knocked over fire hydrants, which disturb natural sediment that builds up over time. Even though this water is safe to drink, discolored or cloudy water in our pipe system is unacceptable and we are taking action to correct it.
If you experience cloudy water, please contact our Water Quality Hotline at 213-367-3182 or emailwaterqualityoffice@ladwp.com.
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