.: Water Quality & Advisories :.
Water Quality Testing Results
The District is continuing to follow the required Water Quality Testing Program developed by the State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water. Please use the links below to view the latest summary reports for each of the areas in Grizzly Flats where water quality testing is ongoing:
Result #0294, testing on 10/15/21 – Bac-t on Mt. Pleasant
Result #0270, testing on 10/14/21 – Bac-ts on Cary Dr. and Woodhaven Ct.
Result #0238, testing on 10/13/21 – Asbestos on Winding Way, Tyler, Woodhaven, and Parkside Ct.
Result #0239, testing on 10/13/21 – VOCs on Winding Way, Parkside Ct., and Tyler Drive
Result #0242, testing on 10/13/21 – Bac-ts on Winding Way, Parkside Ct., Tyler Dr., and Woodhaven
Result #0114, testing on 10/7/21 – Bac-ts on Sciaroni, Grizzly Flat Rd., Woodhaven, and Sugar Pine
Potable Water Service Restored to Some Areas of Grizzly Flats – October 14, 2021
We are excited to report that potable water service has now been restored to three areas of Grizzly Flats, plus our water treatment plant. Please refer to the following map to view the status of your service area: GFCSD Fire – WQ Designation Areas – 2021-10-14 FINAL.
The “blue” areas on the map indicate areas that have water restored. Areas E, M and N and our water treatment plant have had water use restrictions lifted based on ongoing water quality sampling results and review by the Division of Drinking Water with the State of California. The water has been declared “potable” and can be used without restrictions.
Water restrictions (do not drink – do not boil / use for flushing toilets only) remain in place for all other areas, including Pine Ridge Court, until additional flushing and water quality sampling results are available to determine if restrictions can be lifted.
Water Quality Testing Results – October 13, 2021
We’ve received the results from our second round of water quality samples. We are happy to report that there were no harmful contaminates detected in three of the four samples. There were trace amounts detected in the fourth sample, which was taken from Pine Ridge Ct., so that area will require further testing. The results have been submitted to the State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water for review, and we expect to hear back soon. Based on these results, we are hopeful they will allow us to lift some of the water use restrictions that are currently in place. We will also be continuing the required testing for the other areas of Grizzly Flats, as outlined in the District’s Water Quality Monitoring Plan.
To view the complete water quality reports, please click the links below:
Water Quality Testing Update – October 7, 2021
The most frequently asked question this week has been: What is the process GFCSD has to follow to make the water safe for personal use, and when will it be safe to drink the water? At this time, we are not able to determine a date that potable water will be available. All areas of our water system remain in a DO NOT DRINK – DO NOT BOIL status. The State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water created a Water Quality Testing Program that the District is required to follow. The program includes a series of water quality tests that we must perform, with samples taken from 14 different areas of our system. Each area needs to be flushed thoroughly and service line leaks must be capped before testing can be done in that area.
Based on the initial water quality test results, the State is requiring us to keep all current restrictions in place for the utmost safety and health of residents. The State often requires follow-up testing to establish a trend. Follow-up testing will show us if flushing is working to remove any unwanted chemicals from our system. All test results must meet the State’s stringent water quality requirements before the water is deemed safe for potable use.
The health and safety of our customers is our top priority, and we are making every effort to ensure the water in our system is safe for our customers to drink. We anticipate receiving the second round of test results early next week, and the restrictions will be re-evaluated at that time. We will continue to keep customers informed as we work through the required process, and will post additional updates on our website and Facebook page.
Use of Temporary Water Tanks – October 6, 2021
We are seeing a lot of posts about residents using temporary water tanks as a potable water source for their homes while the water supply from GFCSD is under a “DO NOT DRINK – DO NOT BOIL” advisory. The District has no issue with homeowners having free-standing water tanks on their property, and the tanks pose no risk to our public water system.
However, if homeowners decide to CONNECT their tank directly to a home’s plumbing (using a hose, pump, or some other connection), it creates a “cross connection,” which means there is an unprotected connection between a public water system (the GFCSD system) and another source containing water that cannot be verified as safe and potable by the District. GFCSD and State regulations REQUIRE anyone hooking up any sort of tank or auxiliary water supply SHALL have a backflow device installed at your water meter by a certified plumber and notify the District immediately of its installation. Detailed rules and regulations can be found in the links at the bottom of this post.
How would contamination happen? Our water system can lose pressure when we are flushing or if a large leak occurs. That loss of pressure in our system can cause the water in those connected tanks to be pulled backwards through the meter and into the public water system. If there is any type of contamination in that water, it would result in a negative water quality test for us. A backflow device stops the water from flowing backwards and protects our water system from any possible contamination.
We are working extremely hard to get our water system back online for residents. It would be heartbreaking for us if any these tanks are used improperly and delay our efforts. Any negative water quality test will require additional flushing, re-testing, and extended restrictions on water use by the State for our residents. This has the potential to create huge delays for us in getting our water system back online. We need your help and cooperation to protect our water system.
For more information on Cross Connection regulations, please see the links below:
- GFCSD’s Ordinance 88-2 Cross Connection Control Program: http://grizzlyflatscsd.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Ordinance_88-2_Updated_January_9_20201.pdf
- California Regulations (see Title 17, Sections 7583 – 7605): https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/documents/lawbook/dwregulations-2017-12-29.pdf
Initial Water Quality Testing Results – October 5, 2021
The State Water Resources Control Board created a Water Quality Testing Program for the District, and every effort is being made to ensure the water in our system is safe for our customers as our system recovers from the Caldor Wildfire.
We took our first water quality samples on September 23, 2021, from Wildberry Ct., Wildrose Dr., and Pine Ridge Ct., as well as a raw water sample of water coming into our treatment plants from the reservoir. We tested for bacteriological contaminates (Bac-Ts), which indicates the presence of bacteria, parasites, and viruses. We also tested for numerous Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). VOC contamination is a fairly new issue, but we know from the recent fires in Santa Rosa, Paradise, and the CZU Lightning Complex Fire near Santa Cruz, that water systems can experience VOC contamination in depressurized areas that are fire damaged. It is believed that VOC contamination can come from melted plastic service lines, or smoke, hot gases, ash, and hazardous particles that are pulled into the water system during the firefight.
All of our Bac-T tests came back as “absent” of contaminates, and no VOCs were found in our raw water. However, there were small amounts of a VOC called Benzene found in the three samples taken from the distribution system. The State of California set the maximum contaminate level for Benzene at 1.0 ug/L (parts per billion), and the levels found in our three tests were 0.95 (Wildberry), 0.69 (Wildrose), and 0.52 (Pine Ridge Ct).
Benzene is a colorless, highly flammable liquid that evaporates quickly into air and dissolves slightly in water. It is found in crude oil and gasoline, but also occurs naturally in volcanic gases and smoke resulting from forest fires. Benzene is a known carcinogen both in humans and laboratory animals. The effects of benzene exposure will vary depending on how long a person has been exposed, and the amount of benzene. There is a lower risk of absorbing benzene through the skin, however, children and medically vulnerable individuals are more susceptible to toxicants absorbed through the skin. Even with our low levels of benzene, we strongly recommend that residents continue to use bottled water for washing hands and bathing.
After discussing the initial test results with State regulators, we have been instructed to take additional samples at these three sites, as well as continue with sampling from other areas in the system. We will continue to flush the system and compare new sampling with the initial results to determine whether our ongoing system repair and flushing efforts have been effective in lowering the VOC levels.
We also discussed lifting some of the restrictions on water use, such as allowing the water to be used for laundry, since all VOC levels were below the State’s maximum contaminant levels (MCLs). However, the State said that we must keep the current restrictions in place for now, for the public’s health and safety. We anticipate being able to take the second round of samples tomorrow, October 6, and will receive the results in 3-5 business days. The restrictions will be re-evaluated once we receive that next round of test results. For the time being, all areas of our water system remain in a DO NOT DRINK – DO NOT BOIL status.
To view the complete water quality reports, please click the links below:
Repopulation Instructions for Grizzly Flats Community Services Customers – September 12-13, 2021
The following notice was included in the repopulation packets provided to all returning Grizzly Flats residents: Repopulation Instructions for GFCSD Customers.
Unsafe Water Alert – September 7, 2021
The following notice was issued by the State Water Resources Control Board, El Dorado County Environmental Management Department, and Grizzly Flat Community Services District: Unsafe Water Alert_9 7 2021.
Water Quality Monitoring Plan – September 7, 2021
To view the complete Water Quality Monitoring Plan developed for the District by the State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, please click here: Caldor Fire WQ Sampling Plan_with Appendices_Updated 9-7-2021_No Appendix C.
