Grover Beach City Council
May 12, 2025

Boil Water Notice
Information
GROVERBEACH.ORG
Greg Ray
Public Works Director/City Engineer
What Happened?
GROVERBEACH.ORG
• The City of Grover Beach provides water to its residents from two sources: groundwater from wells and water from the Lopez Lake reservoir operated by the County of San Luis Obispo
• On April 29th, the County received results from routine water sampling that indicated bacteria was present in the Lopez pipeline • In accordance with State mandated testing requirements, the County retested the water on the 29th and received results on the 30th • The results indicated that bacteria was still present at 2 locations in the pipeline
• On April 30th, the State directed the County and agencies connected to the Lopez pipeline to issue a boil water notice
Why Was a Boil Water Notice Required?
GROVERBEACH.ORG
• The State law requires that if two routine samples for bacteria test positive and any of those samples indicate the presence of the E. coli bacteria, the water system must issue a Boil Water Notice • The Notice is required to protect against the possibility that the bacteria is widespread in the water system
• One of 13 routine samples from the Lopez pipeline taken by the County on April 28th indicated the presence of E. coli
• Follow up samples taken on April 29th and April 30th indicated the presence of bacteria but no E. coli
Why Was a Boil Water Notice Required?
GROVERBEACH.ORG
• Water samples taken by the City on April 28th, 29th, and 30th indicated no bacteria was present in the City's water system
• Upon receiving information from the County on April 30th, the City disconnected from the Lopez pipeline
• Even though the City was disconnected from the Lopez pipeline and had zero positive bacteria samples, the City was still required to issue a Boil Water Notice to its customers
• Following disconnection from the Lopez pipeline, and two additional tests on the City’s water system indicating zero positive bacteria samples, the State allowed the City to rescind the Boil Water Notice on May 2nd
What was the Cause?
GROVERBEACH.ORG
• The County and the State are working together to investigate the cause of the bacteria found in the pipeline but as of this time the cause is still unknown
• The County is continuing with rigorous testing of the pipeline and is auditing and inspecting all portions of the Lopez water system • The County is switching to a stronger disinfectant in the Lopez pipeline between May 7th and May 28th to provide a higher level of protection while the cause of the incident is being investigated
• The City has reconnected to the Lopez pipeline but is continuing with rigorous testing to ensure our water is free of contaminants What Actions did the City Take ?
GROVERBEACH.ORG
• Upon notification from the County of the positive test results - Immediately disconnected from the Lopez pipeline and increased the frequency of water testing throughout its water system
• Coordinated with the County Office of Emergency Services to alert affected water customers by phone using multiple emergency alert systems • Used the City’s billing system to alert customers who may not have received the alerts from the County
• Posted information on its website and social media with links to the County website regarding safety measures while the boil water notice was in place • The Mayor posted multiple public service announcement videos to convey information
What Can I Do?
GROVERBEACH.ORG
• Sign up for reverse 911 and AlertSLO to receive future messages of public health concerns or other emergencies
• Go to https://www.prepareslo.org/en/public-alerting.aspx for more information on the County's alert and notification systems • Make sure your water billing contact information is up to date with the City
Questions
GROVERBEACH.ORG