Better late than never

On Tuesday (March 19), Butte County Public Health issued a water-quality advisory to warn residents in Camp Fire-affected regions not to drink tap water—even if it’s been boiled.

The advisory notes that water authorities—ostensibly including the Paradise Irrigation District, though no agency is specifically named—had indicated that home plumbing systems may contain contaminants. “[T]herefore, residents should not rely on home water filtration systems as they may not be adequate to provide needed protection,” the memo reads. “Due to the possibility of contamination, residents should not use tap water for drinking, cooking, food preparation, brushing teeth or similar activities.”

It lists the following recommendations: Limit use of hot water; limit shower time (use lukewarm water and ventilate area); use a dishwasher to wash dishes and use air dry setting; wash clothing in cold water; do not take baths; and do not use hot tubs or swimming pools. Further, the advisory notes that well-water users or those with storage tanks may want to have their systems tested for toxins related to the damage wreaked by the fire.

We at the CN&R would like to take that advice up a notch. Residents now living in the region can ensure their water is safe only through adequate testing, meaning taking samples from multiple sites within homes—and doing so regularly.

We learned as much back in February, when Meredith J. Cooper broke the story that water contamination in Paradise was much worse than initially suggested and likely affected in-home plumbing (see “Widespread contamination,” Newslines, Feb. 28). The month before, we published an in-depth piece that included a list of do’s and don’ts for water use on the Ridge (see “Troubled water,” Cover story, Jan. 31) that’s very similar to the county’s.

It’s perplexing Public Health waited so long to issue the aforementioned memo, the only such advisory the department has issued specifically about water. Previous information related to water—included in Public Health’s hazard advisory after the evacuation order was lifted—was nebulous at best. It simultaneously called for boiling water from public systems—something we now know isn’t a sufficient decontamination method—while noting that “tap water should be considered unsafe until proper water tests can be completed.” What sort of testing wasn’t specified.

As for those connected to PID, the agency’s stop-gap measure while it addresses contaminated infrastructure is to install water tanks at standing homes in its service area. Learn more at PID’s next meeting on Tuesday (March 26), from 6-8 p.m., at the Paradise Alliance Church (6491 Clark Road).