4 days ago
LADWP lifts boil water notice for Granada Hills and Porter Ranch
After a nearly week-long boil water notice, residents of Granada Hills and Porter Ranch can use their taps again.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power lifted the advisory issued to more than 9,000 customers on Tuesday, but strongly urged residents to flush their pipes using their tap water. The agency recommended people turn on all of their faucets one by one for five minutes each to let the old water out.
LADWP customers impacted by the boil water notice will receive a $20 credit for flushing out their pipes. Officials provided the following instructions to flush the water supply adequately:
Remove aerators and screens from all faucets. Set water-softening devices and filters, both point-of-use and whole-house, to "bypass mode."
Flush outside plumbing: open and flush external hose bibs/faucets for about 5 minutes or until water is clear and temperature is constant.
Flush cold water: run all cold water faucets on the property beginning with the faucet closest to the water line. Run the water at the highest flow (or fully open) for 5 minutes or until the water is clear and the temperature is constant. Then turn off all faucets in reverse order.
Flush hot water: drain your hot water tank to discharge any accumulated sediments. Wait for the hot water tank to refill then run all hot water faucets on the property beginning with the faucet closest to the water line. Let all faucets run at the highest flow (or fully open) for 5 minutes. Then turn off all faucets in reverse order.
Flush all toilets: a one-time flush should suffice.
Automatic Ice Makers: dump existing ice and flush the water feed lines by making and discarding three batches of ice cubes. Wipe down the ice bin with a disinfectant.
Clean and disinfect aerators and screens: prepare a 20% liquid chlorine bleach solution by adding 1 cup of laundry bleach to 4 cups of water. Place aerators in solution for no more than 5 minutes (any longer may cause damage to aerator) then briefly rinse with clean water and reattach to faucets, shower heads, and fixtures.
Flush appliances: run an empty dishwasher and washing machine once on the rinse cycle. Flush the water dispenser on the refrigerator for 5 minutes.
Replace all filters and reset all water devices from "bypass mode." This applies especially to carbon filters and others that are near the end of their life.
Reverse Osmosis (RO) units: Replace pre-filters, refer to the owner's manual for specific guidance.
Water softeners: Run through a regeneration cycle.
Last Wednesday, a malfunctioning valve forced LADWP to shut off the water supply for more than 9,000 customers in Granada Hills and Porter Ranch amid triple-digit temperatures.
At the time, the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory in Southern California, forecasting temperatures in the San Fernando Valley to reach 10 to 12 degrees above normal.
Construction crews spent the following six days conducting emergency repairs on the distribution system, while LADWP distributed pallets of bottled water to residents.
While repairs restored service early Monday morning, LADWP kept the boil advisory in place until test results ensured the water supply was safe to drink.
LADWP stated that it distributed 2.5 million bottles and over 7,000 gallons of water to residents by the time it lifted the boil water notice on Tuesday.
The utilities company closed all bottled and recycled water distribution centers on Tuesday after sending the water quality results to the California Division of Drinking Water.
Anyone with questions about water quality can visit or call LADWP at (213) 367-3182 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. or 1-800-DIAL-DWP for 24-hour assistance.
